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AT HOME IN FIJI 



C. F. GOKDON CUMMING 

AUTHOR OF 'A LADY'S CRUISE IN A FRENCH MAN-OF-WAB 
*FBOM THE HEBRIDES TO THE HIMALAYAS, ' ETC. 



SECOND EDITION, COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME 



WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIOSS 






JCeto fjork 
A. C. AKMSTROKG & SON, 714 Broadway 

MDCCCLXXXVI 



TO 

DEAE LITTLE KEVIL 

AND 

GEOEGE HAMILTON GOEDON 

THESE NOTES OF ONE OF THE MANY SUNNY HOMES 

OF THEIR HAPPY CHILDHOOD 

AKE LOVINGLY DEDICATED 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction, ........ 1 

CHAPTER I. 
The voyage out, ....... .9 

CHAPTER II. 
Sydney — Camellia trees — Orange gardens, . , . ,12 

CHAPTER III. 

Life in the Blue Mountains — Death of Commodore Goodenough— Life 

in the bush, ....... 19 

CHAPTER IV. 

Arrive in Fiji — Tropical luxury in Levuka — King Thakombau — Plague 

of measles, . . . . . . .26 

CHAPTER V. 

Levuka — The harbour — Coral-reef— Churches — Animal life — Plants — 

How to brew yangona — Picnics — Spear-throwing, . . .35 

CHAPTER YI. 

Fijian spelling — The future capital — A planter's life — Foreign labour — 

Quaint postage-stamps, ...... 53 

CHAPTER VII. 

A. canoe adventure — Sharks — Fever — The feast of worms — Results of 

mission work — No means of locomotion— God's acre, . . 61 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Life on Viti Levu — Suva — A floral clock — The Rewa river— Obsolete 

customs — First night in a native house, . . . .70 

CHAPTER IX. 

Bathing al fresco — The Upper Rewa — Barter — Native houses — A fu- 
neral — Weddings — Grace, ...... 80 

CHAPTER X. 

Upper Rewa — Sunday among the converts — School examinations — A 
"missionary meeting" — Savage ornaments — Red tape — Mikes — 
Evening prayer — Marriages, . • . . 85 

CHAPTER XI. 

Christmas in Great Fiji — Pig feasts — Weddings — Fijian names — Can- 
nibal dainties — Christmas chimes — Sneezing — "Our Father" in 
Fijian, ........ 96 

CHAPTER XII. 

Quite alone in a mountain village — Return to Rewa — Basaltic pillars — 
Rewa pottery — Bau — New Year's eve — King Thakombau as an elder 
of the Wesleyan Church — Pre-Christian times, . . • 107 

CHAPTER XIII. 

A. strange volcanic isle — Joeli Mbulu, a Tongan apostle — The conver- 
sion of the people of Ono — Thakombau's canoe — A royal gardener 
— A small hurricane — Early prayers — Breakfast on Thangalei — 
Between the breakers — At home at Nasova, . . .121 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Life at Nasova — Farmyard — Convict thatchers — Native festival at Bau 
— Return to Nasova — Battles with crabs — Beginning of cannibal 
disturbance — Fijian fairies — A storm, . . . .134 

CHAPTER XV. 

Government House — Pets — Curios — Crabs — Native police — Death of 
Mrs de Ricci, ....... 

• CHAPTER XVI. 

Good Friday in Fiji — Isle Koro — Planters' Houses — Labour — Making 
native cloth — Great feasts — Weddings — Salaries of Wesleyan mis- 
sionaries and teachers, . . . . . .156 



CONTENTS. IX 



CHAPTER XVIL 
I Isle Ngan — Mud-crabs — Albinos — Bathing in the tropics — An earnest 
congregation — A typical village — Fijian students — The burnt 
waters — A narrow escape — "Wreck of the Fitzroy, . . .173 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

' Taviuni — Tui Thakow — Missionary perils — Their fruit of peace — Ratu 
Lala — Rambi Isle — Gipsy life — Vanua Levu — A mission conference 
— The isle of Kia — A village feast, . . • • . 191 

CHAPTER XIX. 

i The Chief of Mbua — Feudal rights — A nigbt in a miserable village — 
Church d la St Columba — Nigbt on a desert isle— Savu Savu — 
Boiling springs — Their use — Past and future, . . . 211 

CHAPTER XX. 
Nasova — The mountain war — A year's progress — Fijian homage, . 219 

CHAPTER XXI. 

A planter's house — Angora goats — A lovely shore — Sericulture— The 

mosquito plague, . •••••• 235 

CHAPTER XXII. 

The pottery districts of Viti Levu — A cannibal's register — A night in a 

corn-shed — Funeral of Ratu Taivita, .... 243 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Start for New Zealand — Extinct volcanoes — Sir George Grey's treasures 

— Tree-kangaroos, . . • • • 260 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Gold-mines — A new city —Native defences — Kauri forest — A hard ride 
— Kati Kati— Tauranga Gate Pah, and cemetery — Ohinemutu — A 
volcanic region, ....... 272 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Bewildering new surroundings — The Maori dragon — Breakfast at 
AVairoa — The mission-house — The hot lake — White terraces - Sul- 
phur and mud volcanoes— An unjust claim resisted — Champions 
from the Antipodes, . . ..... 290 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Fijian rivers- Samoan envoys — Death of a true apostle — A revival — 

Making a race-course — Mission to New Britain, . . . 307 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Various plantations — Crotons — Foreign labour — Green beetles ^Loma 

Loma— A Tongan colony — Hot springs, .... 323 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Notes on Fijian folk-lore— Legend of the rat and cuttle-fish: the crane 
and the crab : essay of roast-pig : of gigantic birds— Serpents 
worshipped as incarnate gods — Sacred stones worshipped — Mytho- 
logy and witchcraft, ...... 345 

Appendix, ........ 856 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAdE 

Our Home in Fiji, . . . Frontispiece 

Isles of Ovalau, Moturiki, Bau, and Viwa. From Viti 

Levu, . . . . . Ill 

Hot Springs, Isle Ngau, . - . . 180 * 

A Chief's Kitchen, ..... 208 

Map, ... At the end 



NOTE.— CANNIBAL TOEK. 

The Cannibal Fork represented on the binding of this book is a facsimile 
of a fair average specimen. Some of the chiefs had forks eighteen inches 
long, of dark polished wood, with handles richly carved. 



With reference to the vegetables specially reserved for cannibal feasts, 
Dr Seemann describes the Boro dina (Solarium anthropophagorum) as a 
bushy shrub, seldom higher than six feet, with a dark glossy foliage, and 
berries of the shape and colour of tomatoes. This fruit has a faint aro- 
matic smell, and is occasionally prepared like tomato-sauce. The leaves 
of this plant, and also of two middle-sized trees (the Mala wathi, Trophis 
anthropophagorum, and the Tudano, Omalanthus pedicellatus), were 
wrapped round the bokola, and baked with it on heated stones. 



AT HOME IN FIJI 



introduction: 

In the autumn of 1874 it was announced that Fiji had been 
formally annexed by Great Britain : in other words, that her 
Majesty's Government had finally decided to accept the offer of 
cession of the group repeatedly made by the highest chiefs of 
Fiji. To this course they were impelled chiefly by the conviction 
of their own utter inability to cope with certain unscrupulous 
white men, who had here established a footing beyond reach of 
English law, and who, to promote their own selfish schemes, did 
not scruple, by every means in their power, to foster the jealousies 
of the chiefs, and so to keep up the bloody intertribal wars by 
which the lands were laid waste, and the population decimated. 

In the prolonged struggle for power, two great chiefs rose pre- 
eminent — namely, Maafu, a powerful Tongan chief, who ruled 
supreme in one portion of the group ; and Thakombau, who (at 
the instigation of the foreigners who had formed themselves into 
a government of which he was the nominal head) had been 
formally crowned as Tui Viti — i.e., King of Fiji. The position 
thus assumed by Thakombau proved, however, untenable. An 
adverse party of white men opposed every measure which the 
Government strove to enforce ; and at length this nominal king, 
then upwards of seventy years of age, wearied by these unprofit- 
able contentions, persuaded the other great chiefs to crave the 
protection of England's Queen. Their petition was at first re- 
jected ; but, when repeated as an act of absolute and uncondi- 
tional cession, it was deemed wise to accept it. 

Sir Hercules Eobinson, G.C.M.G., Governor of New South 



2 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

Wales, was deputed by the Home Government to visit the group 
in person. Accordingly, on 12th September 1874, he sailed from 
Sydney in H.M.S. Pearl, Commodore Gooderiough, and arrived in 
Levuka (the headquarters of the white population of Fiji) on the 
23d inst. Two days later he had a formal interview with -Thak- 
ombau, in which he explained her Majesty's willingness to accept 
the responsibility, and to endeavour to exercise her authority in 
such a manner as should best secure the prosperity and happiness 
of the people; adding, that such conditions as had been at first 
attached would render impracticable the proper government of the 
country. To this Thakombau replied — ■ 

"The Queen is right; conditions are not chief-like. I was 
myself from the first opposed to them, but was overruled. If I 
give a chief a canoe, and he knows that I expect something from 
him, I do not say, ' I give you this canoe on condition of your 
only sailing it on certain days, of your not letting such and such 
a man on to it, or of your only using a particular kind of rope 
with it ; ' but I give him the canoe right out, and trust to his 
generosity and good faith to make me the return which he knows 
I expect. If I were to attach conditions, he would say, *I do 
not care to be bothered with your canoe ; keep it yourself.' 

" Why should we have any anxiety about the future 1 What 
is the future 1 Britain. 

"Any Fijian chief who refuses to cede cannot have much 
wisdom. If matters remain as they are, Fiji will become like 
a piece of drift-wood on the sea, and be picked up by the first 
passer-by. 

" The whites who have come to Fiji are a bad lot. They are 
mere stalkers on the beach. The wars here have been far more 
the result of interference of intruders than the fault of the inhabi- 
tants. 

" Of one thing I am assured, that if we do not cede Fiji, the 
white stalkers on the beach, the cormorants, will open their maws 
and swallow us. 

" The white residents are going about influencing the minds of 
Tui Thakau and others, so as to prevent annexation, fearing that 
in case order is established a period may be put to their lawless 
proceedings. 

" By annexation the two races, white and black, will be bound 
together, and it will be impossible to sever them. The 'inter- 
lacing' has come. Fijians, as a nation, are of an unstable charac- 
ter; and a white man who wishes to get anything out of a Fijian, 



INTRODUCTION. 6 

if he does not succeed in his object to-day will try again to- 
morrow, until the Fijian is either wearied out or over-persuaded, 
and gives in. But law will bind us together, and the stronger 
nation will lend stability to the weaker." 

Sir Hercules Robinson next proceeded in H.M.S. Pearl to visit 
the great chief Maafu at his capital, Loma-Loma. Tui Thakau, 
another powerful chief, was present ; and both declared their full 
assent to the cession and to the document already signed by 
Thakombau, which runs as follows : — 

" \Ye, King of Fiji, together with other high chiefs of Fiji, 
hereby give our country, Fiji, unreservedly to her Britannic 
Majesty, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. And we trust and 
repose fully in her that she will rule Fiji justly and affectionately, 
that we may continue to live in peace and prosperity." 

Finally, on the 10th of October 1874, all the great chiefs 
assembled at Xasova (which was, and still continues to be, the 
seat of government, and is situated one mile from the town of 
Levuka), and there signed the deed of cession. 

The signatures affixed are as follows : — 

CAKOBAU, R. VAKAWALETABUA. NACAGILEVU. 

Tui Viti and Vunivalu. Tui Bua. RATU KIXI. 

MAAFAU. SAVENAKA. RITOVA. 

TUT CAKAU. IS i KELT. KATTJNIVERE. 

RATU EPELT. ROKO TUI DREKETI. MATANITOBUA. 

HERCULES ROBINSON. 

Thus did Fiji pass from the dominion of misrule to the orderly 
position of a British colony, — a change, touchingly alluded to by 
the old king (or, as he is called by his own people, the Yuni Yalu, 
or Boot of War), who on this occasion desired his Prime Minister, 
Mr Thurston, to present his war-club to Queen Victoria. Mr 
Thurston interpreted the king's words as follows : — 

"Your Excellency, — Before finally ceding his country to her 
Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, the king desires, 
through your Excellency, to give her Majesty the only thing he 
possesses that may interest her. 

" The king gives her Majesty his old and favourite war-club, the 
former, and, until lately the only known, law of Fiji. 

" In abandoning club law, and adopting the forms and principles 
of civilised societies, he laid by his old weapon and covered it with 
the emblems of peace. Many of his people, whole tribes, died and 
passed away under the old law; but hundreds of thousands still 
survive to learn and enjoy the newer and better state of things. 



4 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

The king adds only a few words. With this emblem of the past 
he sends his love to her Majesty, saying that he fully confides in 
her and in her children, who, -succeeding her, shall become kings 
of Fiji, to exercise a watchful control over the welfare of his 
children and people ; and who, having survived the barbaric law 
and age, are now submitting themselves, under her Majesty's rule, 
to civilisation." 

The king then handed the club to his Excellency, who informed 
Thakombau that he would not fail to transmit to the Queen the 
historic gift which he desired to present to her, and that he would 
at the same time communicate to her Majesty, verbatim, the trust- 
ful and gratifying message by which the gift was accompanied. 

This magnificent club, together with Thakombau's huge yangona 
bowl, is now in the safe keeping of Mr Franks (of the British 
Museum), and is kept with the Christie Collection in Victoria 
Street. Both club and bowl are at least twice the size of any 
others we have seen in the isles. 

Five days later Sir Hercules held a farewell meeting with the 
chiefs, many of whom had hitherto met only as open foes. In 
closing his farewell speech, he said — 

" I hope that all differences and animosities will now be forgotten 
and subdued. The Vuni Valu's (Eoot of War) war-club has been 
sent with a dutiful and loving message to our Queen. I hope all 
other weapons of strife have in like manner been buried at the 
foot of the staff upon which we have raised the Union Jack." 

To this the two chiefs, hitherto rivals for the supreme power, 
thus replied. First spoke Thakombau. 

" I hope that all present will now understand that they are her 
Majesty's subjects and servants, and that, as the Governor has said, 
their future is in their own hands. They will be judged accord- 
ing to their behaviour and their deserts, and according to such 
judgment they will stand or fall. 

" We know that we are not here now simply as an independent 
body of Fijian chiefs, but as subordinate agents of the British 
Crown; and being bound together by strength and power, that 
strength and power will be able to overcome anything which tends 
to interfere with or interrupt the present unity. 

" Any chief attempting to pursue a course of disloyalty must 
expect to be dealt with on his own merits, and not to escape by 
any subterfuge, or by relying upon any Fijian customs, or upon his 
high family connections." 

Maafu then said — 



INTRODUCTION. 5 

" What more can any of us say 1 The unity of to-day has been 
our desire for years. I have now been twenty years in Fiji, and 
I have never before seen such a sight as I see to-day — Fiji actually 
and truly united. We tried a government ourselves ; we did not 
succeed. That has passed away. Another and a better and more 
permanent state of things has been brought into existence. I 
believe that I speak the mind of all present when I say that we 
are really and truly united in heart and will, and we are all gratified 
with what Ave have heard. We are true men, and will return to 
our homes knowing that the unity of Fiji is a fact, and that peace 
and prosperity will follow." 

On the eve of Sir Hercules's departure, a deputation of the 
Wesleyan Mission waited upon him to express their intense satis- 
faction with the deed of cession ; but for which, they considered 
that their work as Christian missionaries would have received 
serious injury. They added : " We venture to remind your Excel- 
lency that it is not forty years since missionaries representing the 
British Wesleyan Churches came to Fiji, then in a state of savage 
heathenism ; and that, but for the blessing of God upon their 
labours, there would have been no British Fiji at the present day." 

Sir Hercules's reply must have been truly gratifying to his 
hearers. Its conclusion was — 

" I fervently trust that a new era has now dawned upon Fiji, 
and that under British rule the moral as well as the material pro- 
gress of the new colony may, by the blessing of Providence, be 
effectually secured. The great social advances which have already 
been made within the last forty years from savage heathenism, are 
due to the self-denying and unostentatious labours of the Wesleyan 
Church; and I can therefore heartily wish to your missionary 
enterprise in this country continued vitality and success. 

"With renewed thanks for the good wishes which you are 
pleased to express for myself personally, I have, &c, 

"HERCULES ROBINSON. 

" To the Rev. Joseph Wateehouse, 
,, Samuel Brookes, 
„ D. S. Wylie." 

With reference to the provision to be made for the chiefs who 
had thus voluntarily resigned their rights, without knowing to 
what extent these might be really taken from them, Sir Hercules 
suggested that Thakombau should receive a pension of £1500 



6 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

a-year, and a present of £1000 to buy a nmch-coveted little vessel 
for his own use ; that in the event of his death, his queen, Andi 
Lydia, should continue to receive £1000 a-year for her life. Their 
three sons would probably find employment under Government, 
with suitable salaries ; as would also be the case with the principal 
chiefs, all of whom would continue to hold their office of Rokos of 
the twelve Provinces — a native dignity held in much reverence. 

In January 1875 the Hon. Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon, 
K.C.M.G. (son of George, fourth Earl of Aberdeen), was appointed 
first Governor of Fiji, — an archipelago containing seventy or eighty 
inhabited islands, some of which are of considerable size, the largest, 
Viti Levu, or Great Fiji, being about ninety miles long by fifty 
broad, nearly the same area as the counties of Kent, Sussex, Surrey, 
Middlesex, Berkshire, and Hampshire. The next in size, Yanua 
Levu, the Great Land, is upwards of one hundred miles long 
by twenty-five wide, somewhat smaller than Cornwall, Devon- 
shire, and Somerset. Taviuni and Khandavu are each twenty-five 
miles long; while Bau, the native capital, is scarcely a mile in 
length. Besides these, there are upwards of one hundred and fifty 
uninhabited islets ; and each of the principal islands forms a centre 
round which cluster from twenty to thirty minor isles, forming 
groups as distinct and as widely separated as are the Orkneys, the 
Hebrides, and the Scilly Isles, and their people are equally un- 
known to one another. The climate is, for the tropics, unusually 
healthy. At the time of the cession, they were inhabited by about 
1500 whites and 150,000 natives. 1 It was June 1875 ere Sir 
Arthur reached the colony, and, to quote his own words 2 — 

"The state of things which disclosed itself to me on my arrival -was not 
encouraging. A terrible pestilence, heedlessly admitted, had swept away one- 
third of the entire native population. Though its violence had diminished, 
its ravages had not wholly ceassd. Even where it had passed by, it had left 
behind it terror and despair. The same cause had carried off man} 7 of the im- 
ported labourers of the planters, who, from a variety of causes, were themselves, 
for the most part, reduced to the greatest straits. The revenue had fallen short 
of even the modest estimate of Sir H. Robinson, whilst the expenditure had 
largely exceeded his anticipations. The introduction of labour from other 
parts of the Pacific had almost ceased. The season had been unfavourable 
for agriculture, wet, and unhealthy, and gloom and discontent pervaded all 
classes. 

"The white settlers had apparently imagined that, by some magical pro- 
cess, the assumption of sovereignty by Great Britain was to be followed by an 
immediate change from poverty to wealth, from struggling indigence to pros- 



i The present population of Fiji, in 1880, is estimated at 110,000 natives, 1902 
Europeans, and 32U0 Polynesians. 
2 From a Paper read before the Royal Colonial Tnstitute, 18th March 1879. 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

perity ; that their claims to land would be at once allowed ; that an abundant 
supply of labour would be at once found for them ; and that their claims to 
supremacy over the natives, which the Government of Cakobau — whatever its 
faults — had steadily refused to recognise, would be at once acknowledged. 
They were, therefore, bitterly disappointed to find their hopes not realised. 

"The natives were cowed and disheartened by the pestilence, which they 
believed to have been introduced purposely to destroy them, — a belief encour- 
aged, I am ashamed to say, by some of our own countrymen, and which 
was probably the main cause of the disturbances in the Highlands of Viti 
Levu in the following year. They were perplexed by reiterated assurances, 
from the whites living among them, that by the mere fact of annexation to 
Great Britain their own laws and customs had been abolished ; that their rules 
of succession, and for the transmission of property, had no longer any exist- 
ence ; that many of their cherished habits were illegal ; that their lands had 
become the property of the Crown ; and that they would themselves be ex- 
pected, if not required, to labour on white men's plantations. They were told, 
moreover, that all" distinctions of rank among them were at an end, — a notifi- 
cation more perplexing than pleasing, in its suddenness, to the people generally, 
and which naturally caused irritation and distrust among the higher chiefs. 

"A third element in the population, the immigrant labourers from othei 
parts of Polynesia, whose contracts of service had long expired, but whose em- 
ployers had no means to send them back to their homes, and who had remained, 
in some cases, for many years in by no means voluntary servitude, were exas- 
perated by the bad faith they had experienced. 

"At the end of the year 1875 I found myself with a revenue of £16,000, 
from which I had to meet an expenditure of over £70,000, and at the head of 
a dissatisfied and impoverished white population of some 1500 persons, in the 
midst of a native population nearly one hundred times as large, suspicious, 
watchful, and uneasy ; while on but too many estates, bands of wrongfully 
detained immigrants formed a real, though apparently unrecognised, source of 
danger. 

" It is not my object, in the present paper, to narrate the steps taken in the 
administration of the government since that time. Suffice it to soy, generally, 
that the revenue of the colony has swelled rapidly from £16,000 in 1875 to 
£38,000 in 1876 ; £47,000 in' 1877, and over £61,000 in 1878, 1 while the ex-, 
penditure lias been reduced to a level with the income ; that the receipts from 
customs, Avhich were, in 1875, but £8000, amounted in 1878, under practically 
the same tariff, to £20,000 ; that the imports have nearly doubled in value, 
and the exports (which exceed the imports) have quite done so ; that the "Poly- 
nesian labourers, whose term of service had expired, have been conveyed home 
and replaced by labour newly recruited ; that more than 800 land titles have 
been settled after laborious and minute investigation ; that measures have been 
passed by the Legislative Council which do honour to those who framed them, 
and compare favourably with those of many older colonies ; that the Govern- 
ment service has been organised, Courts of Law established ; that a dangerous 
disturbance has been put down quickly, cheaply, and effectually ; that capital 
is being invested ; and that, after a careful investigation, extending over more 
than a year, it has been reported to me, by most competent and most cautious 
scientific authority, that the annual value of the agricultural exports of the 
colony, when its powers of production have been fully developed, will prob- 
ably exceed £10,000,000 sterling." 

After alluding to the purely native organisation of Bulis, Kokos, 
and other functionaries whom Sir Arthur found it desirable to con- 

i The revenue for 1879 was estimated at £75,150. 



8 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

tinue to employ in the same capacities, in the administration of 
local government, and in carrying out various measures, he goes on 
to speak of the system on which these were framed. 

" It was always borne in mind that these regulations had, to a great extent, 
to be administered by the natives themselves, and that a code which they 
thoroughly understood and had taken part in preparing, and which was in har- 
mony with their own ideas and modes of thought, would be far more easily 
worked, and far more willingly and intelligently obeyed, than much better regu- 
lations imposed by external force, but which they might neither comprehend 
nor appreciate, and which would therefore be of far less real utility. . . . 

" I may say that I have no reason to be dissatisfied with the results. I have 
no doubt that the native magistrates make mistakes, and sometimes grave 
mistakes ; I have no doubt that in individual instances the Roko Tuis are 
harsh and overbearing ; but it is, I think, far better that they should now and 
then be so than that all share in the administration should be taken away from 
them. The employment of natives in the administration of the government 
was, indeed, a financial necessity, for the means did not exist, and do not yet 
exist, for the payment of such a staff of white officials as would have been re- 
quired had the services of natives been dispensed with. But had no such im- 
perative cause existed to render their employment inevitable, I should equally 
have deemed it to be required by considerations of policy. Unless removed 
from their habitual places of residence, and treated with a harshness wholly 
incompatible with the understanding on which the islands had been ceded to 
England, chiefs of intelligence, high rank, and great social influence, would 
have become, if stripped of all authority, and deprived of all employment 
except that of brooding over their own changed condition, very dangerous 
elements in the colony. For, be it remembered, the legal non-recognition of 
their position would not have in any way deprived them of the power they 
possessed over those who yielded to them an instinctive and unquestioning 
obedience. As it is, they are cheerful and willing assistants to the Govern- 
ment in the performance of its duties. 

"The results of the system actually adopted were apparent when the moun- 
taineers of Viti Levu attacked the Christian villages of the Singatoka. I 
appealed to the Eokos for help, and named thirty men as the contingent each 
was to send. Had the same state of mind existed that I found on my arrival, 
sullen and reluctant submission would at best have been given to the order, and 
more probably excuses would have been made for the non-appearance of the 
force ; the mischief would have spread, and a long and costly war would have 
resulted. What was in fact the answer to the appeal ? From almost every 
province came double the number of men asked for — picked men out of a host 
of volunteers — and the troubles were suppressed by native forces alone, 
without delay and at a trifling cost. . . . 

" I will only say one word on the future prospects of the colony — namely, 
that I believe Fiji to be an admirable field for the investment of large capital, 
whether in sugar or coffee estates. Sugar grows spontaneously, is of the first 
quality, and has a practically boundless market in Australia. As regards coffee 
culture, Fiji is now in much the same position as Ceylon thirty or forty years 
ago, and I have no doubt that those who now found estates there will find them 
in no long time amply remunerative. I have never seen finer tobacco than 
that raised in Fiji, and the cotton produced there is admitted to be of the best 
description." 

Fiji lies 1760 miles K.-E. of Sydney, and 1175 miles K of 



THE VOYAGE OUT. 



Auckland. The value of its principal exports may be gathered 



from the following table : — 



1875, 
1876, 
1877, 
1878, 



Coppra. 


Cotton. 


Sugar. 


£40,003 


£28,706 


£3,417 


45,908 


21,122 


10,433 


79,403 


15,690 


16,170 


122,194 


20,700 


18,640 



At the close of 1878 the area under cultivation was as 
follows : — 



Coppra — i.e., 


cocoa-nut, . , 


• i 


9166 acres. 


Cotton, 


• 


, . 


2390 „ 


Sugar, 


• • 


» • 


. 1772 „ 


Maize, 


• * < 


> ■ 


1000 „ 


Coffee, 


. . 


• 


. 1219 „ 



The cultivation of coffee is as yet in its infancy. 

Tobacco, arrow-root, cocoa, cinchona, tea, vanilla, rice, pepper, 
&c, have been produced as yet only in small quantities, experi- 
mentally. The export of green fruit for Australia and ]N r ew Zea- 
land is a rapidly increasing item. Thus in 1877, 3100 bunches 
of bananas were exported; in 1878, 21,316 bunches; in 1879, 
43,062 bunches. 

The form of Government is that of a Crown Colony, with 
Executive and Legislative Councils. 



CHAPTER L 

THE VOYAGE OUT. 



On Board the Messageries Maritimes s.s- Anadyb, 
Nearing Point de Galle, April 17, 1S75. 



My dear Fellow- Arab, — You see I am " once more upon the 
waters," but whither I am now bound is a problem which I defy 
you to guess. I had not time to write to you before my hurried 
departure from England, but you see my locomotive demon has 
allowed me a very short spell of rest (if rest it can be called, to 
rush all over England and Scotland, visiting innumerable friends 
and relations ! Practically, I find such visiting involves more 



10 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

wear and tear of mind and body, than any amount of travelling 
in distant lands). 

Well, as you know, it is not yet six months since I returned 
home, after eighteen months of the most delightful wanderings in 
every corner of beautiful Ceylon. It needed all the warmth of 
family affection to make the bitter cold of an English winter even 
endurable, and my yearning for tropical heat and sunlight was for 
ever being reawakened by aggravating acquaintances, who invari- 
ably asked me, " Where are you going next V As I had not the 
smallest prospect of ever again escaping from my native shores, I 
always answered, "To Fiji," as being the most absurd answer 
that suggested itself to so foolish a question, — a place known to 
me only as being somehow associated with a schoolboy song about 
the King of the Cannibal Islands. Judge, then, of my amaze- 
ment, when, one morning, I received a letter to tell me that Fiji 
had been annexed, and that Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon had 
been appointed first Governor, and gravely suggesting that I 
should accompany Lady Gordon to her remote home. I need 
scarcely tell you that the temptation proved irresistible. 

To begin with, a cruise in the South Pacific has been one of the 
dreams of my life ; and the idea of going actually to live for an 
indefinite period on isles where there are still a number of fero- 
cious cannibals, has a savour of romance which you can imagine 
does not lack charm. And then to do it all so comfortably, 
gliding into the adventure so easily, without the slightest exertion 
on my own part, is far too rare a chance to be lost, in spite of the 
remonstrances of my sisters, who consider it quite unnatural of 
me to caTe to leave home again so soon. 

Naturally, when I announced my intention of really going, 
every one replied, " Of course you are only joking ! " And 
indeed, even now, I myself find it difficult to think of Fiji or 
anything connected with it in any other light tjian that of a great 
joke; its very name has always been considered funny ! 

Its whereabouts, and everything connected with it, are evidently 
matters of the vaguest uncertainty to all my friends. I did my 
best to appear astonished at their ignorance, but, between our- 
selves, I honestly confess to having possessed the very haziest 
ideas on the subject, up to the moment when that letter reached 
me, when, of course, I got an atlas and hunted Fiji up. As you 
probably have no map at hand, and are certain to be equally in 
the dark, I may as well tell you that it is a group of about 250 
islands, of which about 70 are inhabited. That it is in the South 



THE VOYAGE OUT. 11 

Pacific, about ten degrees south of the Equator, thirty degrees 
east of the north coast of Australia, and twenty degrees north 
of New Zealand. This is a very rough description, but it is 
sufficient to make you realise the position. 

As yet, I only know of two people who have been there — one 
of whom, Harry Leefe, started from Cresswell last year to join an 
uncle who owns an island there, and grows cotton and cocoa-nuts. 
This Eobinson Crusoe of the South Seas has for years past been 
to us enveloped in a halo of romance ; and now I am looking for- 
ward to seeing him in his own home, and myself becoming " a 
resident in the South Seas." Does it not sound delightful, and 
don't you envy me 1 Before leaving London, I managed to get 
up some information by reading a cleverly compiled book on Fiji, 
by a man who has never been there ; but he vouches for the group 
being a terrestrial paradise, where the soil need only be scratched 
to yield abundant harvests of every sort, and where every form of 
volcanic crag combines with tropical foliage to produce endless 
beauties. So I have invested in a goodly stock of drawing-paper, 
and enough paints and brushes to last me a lifetime, and look 
forward to a most interesting sketching tour. The ground will 
have the advantage of being altogether new, which is an immense 
charm. 

And now we are fairly started, and a very large pleasant party 
j we are. We (the Fijian family) assembled in London on the 2 2d 
| March, for a short special service at King's College Chapel, Sonier- 
l set House, and next morning started for Paris, where we halted 
I four days, embarking at Marseilles on Easter morning — an unsatis- 
j factory moment for starting, but travellers cannot always choose 
i their own times and seasons. This is a splendid steamer, 3600 
j tons, most comfortable in every respect, and with a capital table 
| for such as appreciate French cookery. 

Our party consists of Sir Arthur and Lady Gordon, and two 
i particularly nice little ones — namely, Nevil, a picturesque girl of 
• six, with silky brown curls, and dark thoughtful eyes ; and George, 
j aged four, who is always called Jack, because from his boyhood he 
j has worn real sailor's clothes, made by a man-of-war's tailor. Then 
j comes their cousin, Arthur Gordon, who has a fine talent for 
; drawing, and is Sir Arthur's secretary. Captain Knollys, A.D.C., 
only joined us at Aden, bringing with him a very important mem- 
ber of the family — namely, Snip, a tiny black and tan terrier. 
Dr Mayo, Mr Mitchell, Mr Eyre, and Mr Le Hunte, at present 
complete our party, the latter being a young lawyer, and^ moreover, 



12 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

our typical Briton, — a stalwart combination of Ireland and York- 
shire. Mr Mitchell was a tried friend in the West Indies. And 
Dr Mayo is a keen, clever man, a fellow of New College, Oxford, 
who has followed his profession in every camp in Europe, and in 
some in Asia, and now hopes to find an ample field for studying 
new forms of the ills that flesh is heir to among the various races 
of the Pacific. He is a good botanist and antiquarian, and is a 
mine of information on all topics. All these spend several hours a 
day learning Fijian, with the most exemplary patience and deter- 
mination, by the help of vocabularies and dictionaries. Last but 
not least come the excellent Welsh nurse and faithful Portuguese 
under-nurse; and Mr and Mrs Abbey, major-domo and general 
heads of all departments, who have already lived with the Gordons 
in Trinidad and Mauritius, and there proved themselves pillars of 
Government House : a most comfortable and reliable couple, war- 
ranted to take good care of everything and everybody. They have 
two little boys — the youngest, Arky, a sunny-headed little mite. 

Captain and Mrs Havelock, and Dr and Mrs Macgregor, are to 
join us at Sydney, as are also the Judge and Attorney-General, Sir 
William and Lady Hackett, and Mr and Mrs de Eicci, so that the 
white population of Fiji will receive a large accession. 

I will add no more at present, except to say that, with my usual 
luck at this point, it was bitterly cold and very grey coming through 
the Suez Canal and down the Eed Sea. There had been a heavy 
storm, which turned the sea to mud for some miles ere we reached 
Port Said, which was dirty and dull as usual, — heavy waves dash- 
ing over the breakwater, and Lake Menzaleh looking grey and 
dreary. . . . — Ever yours. 






CHAPTER H 



SYDNEY CAMELLIA TREES ORANGE GARDENS. 



Sydket, Nbw South Wales, 
June 2. 



Dear Nell, — My last letter home was posted at Rockhampton, 
two days before we reached Brisbane. The latter lies twenty 
miles up a river, so a little steamer comes down to meet the big 



SYDNEY. 13 

one and carry letters and passengers to and fro. On this occasion 
there was a special one for Sir Arthur, and he and his party were 
hospitably entertained by the Governor, Mr Cairns. His private 
secretary at present is Mr Maudslay, a son of the celebrated en- 
gineer. He has already travelled far and near for his own amuse- 
ment, and we think it probable that some day he will find his way 
to Fiji and become one of our band of brothers, or Knights of the 
Hound Table, if you think that sounds better. I should scarcely 
think Brisbane was a congenial atmosphere. It seemed to us a 
singularly uninteresting place, its botanical gardens being almost 
the only resource. Of course, in a semi-tropical climate like that 
of Queensland, there is always the attraction of very varied foliage ; 
but we thought even this was somewhat stunted. 

We had lovely weather on our two days' voyage from Brisbane, 
and also the day we arrived here. Unfortunately we just missed 
seeing the festivities for the Queen's birthday, when every ship in 
the beautiful harbour was dressed, and there was an immense 
volunteer review. There are no military here, and the volunteers 
only meet on this one day. Lady Robinson is, however, to have a 
great ball to-night, when she promises to show us any number of 
Australian beauties. 

The accommodation of Government House is so very limited, 
and the family party so large, that it was as much as she could do 
to find room for Lady Gordon and the children. All the gentle- 
men have found quarters at an hotel; and Commodore and Mrs 
Goodenough, a most hospitable and kind couple, have managed to 
take me in. Never was there a better illustration of the old pro- 
verb that "where there is heart-room there is hearth-room," for 
their house is tiny and yet shelters many friends. Lady Robinson 
kindly says that, though not living under her roof, I am neverthe- 
less her guest. So I dine there most nights. 

How you would revel in the exquisite loveliness of the camel- 
lias ! The dinner-table is most often decorated with delicate pink 
camellias and maidenhair fern; and the loveliest white ones are 
abundant as snowdrops in an English spring. Beautiful as these 
are, I am not enamoured of what we have hitherto seen of Australia 
as contrasted with Ceylon and India. To begin with, I have con- 
trived to catch a severe cold, not improved by all these starlight 
walks to and from Government House, which is just too near to be 
worth driving to ; and the climate is apparently as changeable as 
in England. We have had four consecutive days of incessant 
rain and cold, raw air, so on every side you hear people coughing 



14 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

and sneezing ; and we are glad to cower over fires — for which, by 
the way, the coal comes from Newcastle. 

It is so absurd to hear the old familiar names out here. A man 
tells you he has just come from Morpeth, Oxford, or Hyde Park, 
Norwood or Sydenham, Waterloo, Waverley or Paddington, Birken- 
head or Liverpool, Brighton or Cremorne, Clifton, St Leonard's, 
Darlington, Anglesea, &c. It is quite a relief to hear so wholly 
novel a name as Wooloonioolloo ! 

But truly all the attractions which have hitherto delighted me 
in foreign lands are here conspicuous by their absence. Apparently 
no native population. Certainly no rich colour; no statuesque 
tropical undress ; no graceful cocoa-palms. Everything is British, 
even to the ploughman riding his horses home at night, and the 
four-horse omnibuses, and the hansom cab which drives you about 
the town at 4s. an hour, and the genuine unadulterated cockney 
accents of men born and bred in the colony. Of course it is in- 
teresting to see this Greater Britain mushroom, but it is difficult to 
believe that we are 14,000 miles from London ! and I hope, before 
long, to get glimpses of bush-life. 

But of Sydney itself we run some danger of getting more than 
we wish, inasmuch as the difficulties of getting ready a house in 
Fiji are very great, especially from lack of hands to labour — a 
difficulty which has been sorely increased by a frightful plague of 
measles, which, by news just received, have (at the lowest computa- 
tion) carried off one -fifth of the whole population of the Isles. 
Some rate it far higher. And the survivors are all disheartened 
and miserable, and unfit for work. So, although Sir Arthur is 
buying his doors and windows and planking ready-made here to 
facilitate his building, it may be months before he has a house 
ready for us ; and meanwhile we must have one here, and a very 
difficult article it is to find. The gentlemen are house-hunting all 
over the place, with very bad success ; and the worst of it is that 
there is so little time, as Sir Arthur must start for Fiji within ten 
days, and leave us settled here, — a dull prospect for Lady Gordon, 
and doubly so as she must be anxious at his running into such a 
sink of measles, he being the only one of the party who has never 
had them. 

We went to the opera last night. . The most remarkable thing 
about it was the drop-scene, which was simply a huge advertise- 
ment sheet, with puffs of all sorts, from the newest sewing-machine 
to the most efficacious pills ! Imagine the effect of this descending 
between each act of Anna Bolena ! I regretted much that I had 



SYDNEY. 1 5 

not rather accompanied Commodore and Mrs Goodenough, who 
spent the evening with a large party of blue-jackets. It is quite 
touching to see their cordial kindness to all the men, and extreme 
interest in all that concerns them; and yet the Commodore has 
the name of being stern. I can only say I never saw a face which 
more thoroughly revealed the genial nature within. 

June 10. 

We have had several pleasant expeditions in the neighbourhood. 
Last Monday, Sir Hercules having ordered a special train to take 
us to see the Blue Mountains, we started early and went as far as 
the wonderful zigzags by which the rail is carried across the 
mountains. I had the privilege of sitting on the engine, so I 
obtained an admirable view. 

The following day Mr Gordon, Capt. Knollys, Dr Macgregor, 
Dr Mayo, and Mr Eyre started for Fiji in H.M.S. Barracouta, so 
our first detachment is fairly under weigh. Sir Arthur is waiting 
for telegrams from England, and is to follow in H.M.S. Pearl with 
Commodore Goodenough. It has been decided that we are to 
remain at Pfahlert's Hotel till he sends us orders to follow, which 
we hope may come soon. 

Meanwhile we find some attractions here. To-day we drove out 
to the South Heads, and had a most lovely walk along the cliffs. 
At the entrance to the harbour we came to a pretty little church 
perched among the rocks, and listened to the choir practising " The 
strain upraise," while we sat basking in the sunshine, the whole 
air fragrant with the honeyed blossoms of the red and white 
epaeris, which grows in profusion, and is suggestive of many- 
coloured heaths. Though the everlasting gum-tree is apparently 
the only indigenous growth, there is lovely foliage of all sorts in 
the gardens of innumerable villas, which lie dotted all over the 
countless headlands, and along the shores of the many creeks 
which branch off from this immense and most lovely harbour. 

In these gardens you find clumps of bamboo growing beside 

I weeping-willows ; holly-bushes, with clusters of scarlet berries, 
overshadowed by stiff date palms ; broad-leaved plantains, con- 
| trasting with leafless trees ; frost-dreading heliotrope beside wintry 
| chrysanthemums and withered oak; while dark Norfolk Island 
j pines serve as a background to large camellia-trees, literally one 
■ blaze of blossom, pink, white, crimson, and variegated. These 
j grow in such rank profusion wherever they receive the slightest 
• care, that we marvel to find them in so comparatively few gardens, 



16 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

2specially as their value is so fully recognised that good blossoms 
fetch about 6d. a-pieee; and market-gardeners allow millions to 
drop unheeded, rather than lower their price- 
There are lovely ferns in many of the little gullies, and delight- 
ful spots at which to land for picnics. One of the favourite 
" ploys " here is to start armed with a small hammer, a bottle of 
vinegar or some lemons, and slices of bread and butter, and find a 
feast of oysters on the rocks ! Two days ago, the weather being 
warm and sunny, Lady Eobinson took us in her steam-launch 
fourteen miles up one of the creeks. It was like a beautiful Scotch 
lake ; and we caught glimpses of many lesser creeks branching off 
to right and left, all tempting us to explore. Now I must despatch 
my letter. So good-bye. — Your loving sister. 



Pfahlert's Hotel, Sydney, 
Sunday, June 20, 1875. 

I told you in my last that the first detachment of our party 
started for Fiji in the Barracouta. ISTow so many have followed 
that we feel quite forsaken. This day last week Sir Arthur and 
Lady Gordon went to a farewell lunch on board H.M.S. Pearl with 
Commodore and Mrs Goodenough, and on Monday the Barracouta 
sailed. AVe sat in the beautiful botanic gardens to watch her pass 
down the harbour, carrying away so many of our friends — Sir 
Arthur, Mr Mitchell, and Mr Le Hunte of our own set, and the 
good kind Commodore and his officers. I do so envy them going 
off to the Isles, and of course it is a sore trial to Lady Gordon to 
be left here : it will be fully three months before we are allowed 
to follow. On Wednesday another detachment followed — namely, 
Mr and Mrs de Eicci, Mrs Macgregor and her little girl, Mrs Abbey 
and her two little boys. They went by the Meteor, a" very small 
sailing ship, and I fear they are likely to have a very uncomfort- 
able passage, lasting fully a fortnight. 

The people here are not encouraging as to our prospects. Many 
of them have lost a great deal of money which they had invested 
in Fijian plantations ; and those who have had friends or relations 
there, in some cases ladies and children, give us most lamentable 
accounts of the hardships they had to undergo from want of the 
commonest necessaries of life, and dangerous voyages in open canoe 
From all we hear, I think there can be no doubt a planter's life 
the Isles must be a most unenviable lot ; but of course, as far 
we individually are concerned, the way will be made smooth. 



SYDNEY. 1 7 

I am preparing for emergencies by attending the infirmary 
several days a week, to pick np a few ideas about simple nursing. 
It is under the care of Miss Osborne, a cousin of Florence Night- 
ingale. Evidently her whole heart is in her work, and everything 
is done thoroughly; and kindness and order reign supreme. I 
have been very much interested in some of the patients, especially 
in one poor sailor who hails from "the parish of Dyke." 1 

Nothing strikes me more here than the exceeding loyalty of the 
inhabitants. Every one speaks of England as " home," though 
neither they nor their parents or grandparents ever saw the old 
country ; and certainly our Queen has no more devoted subjects. 
To-day being her Majesty's Accession, the churches were crowded ; 
and at the cathedral this afternoon we had the "Coronation 
Anthem," and then "God save the Queen." 

I find here that it does not do to use the word native, as we are 
wont to do, with reference to the brown races. Here it is applied 
exclusively to white men born in the country, the hideous blacks 
being invariably described as aborigines. Hideous indeed they 
are, far beyond any race I have yet met with ; and of so low a type 
that it is impossible, in their case, to regret that strange law of 
nature which seems to ordain the dying out of dark skinned races 
before the advance of civilisation, and which is nowhere so self- 
evident as in Australia, where they have simply faded away, not- 
withstanding the strict observance of their own most elaborate 
marriage laws, which set forth the various degrees of relationship 
between different tribes, and the rotations in which alone they are 
permitted to marry. Perhaps, however, if all tales be true con- 
cerning the ruthless policy of extermination practised by too many 
of the settlers on the frontier, and the manner in which tribes have 
been shot down wholesale for daring to trespass on the lands taken 
from them without any sort of right the extinction of the Aus- 
tralian black may be found to be less a law of nature than an 
illustration of the might that makes right. But certainly the few 
specimens, we have come across have been unspeakably wretched, 
living in gipsy camps far more miserable than those of any British 
tinker, altogether dirty and debased. 

The Commodore rejoices us by saying that our Eijians are a very 
superior race, many of them really handsome, fine, stalwart men. 
He brought some Fijian yams on his return from the Isles, and 
had a dinner party, that we might all taste them. Anything Fijian 
is really as great a curiosity here as it would be in London. You 
1 In Morayshire. 
B 



18 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

know the Pearl took Sir Hercules to Fiji to make final arrange- 
ments about annexation ; and when that business was settled, King 
Thakombau and his sons came to visit Sir Hercules and see some- 
thing of civilisation. You can imagine how strange the great city 
must have seemed to men whose notion of a king's palace is a one- 
roomed thatched house one storey high. The horses and carriages 
were still more wonderful ; and as to the railway, that was beyond 
comprehension. But the old king took it all very philosophically, 
and was never so happy as when Lady Robinson's little grand- 
daughter, a pretty little child with golden hair, crept on to his 
knee, whispering, "You won't eat me, will you?" Or else he 
would lie down and rest on his own mat, keeping his big Bible 
beside him, — not that the old man could read it, for I believe 
his studies commenced rather too late in life, but he said " it made 
him feel so good ! " 

Pfahlebt's Hotel, July 15. 

Dear Eisa, — I have been all the morning waiting for the mail, 
sure of a letter from you, but I again have drawn a blank in that 
tantalising lottery. You can scarcely realise what a matter of 
interest the mails become in a place like this — the perpetual coming 
and going of the steamers, the signalling of their approach from 
the Heads, then watching them come up the harbour, right past 
Government House to their respective creeks. Such a lovely har- 
bour as it is, and every headland dotted with picturesque villas ! 
We have had both time and weather to enjoy it, the latter having 
been faultless ever since the rainy week which greeted our arrival, 
when it did pour with a vengeance. Kow it is quite lovely, only 
the nights are too chilly sometimes for perfection. It is mid 
winter, you know, and all the deciduous trees are leafless. Leaf- 
less oak and apple trees beside camellia and orange trees in full 
flower and fruit ! But the willows have not lost their leaves, but 
grow beside great clumps of bamboo. 

The days slip away pleasantly. Many very kind friends plan 
delightful excursions for us, by land or water ; and I learn what 
carriage-springs are capable of enduring when I see the daintiest 
little pony-phaetons driven, apparently at random, through the 
bush, across fields, or over the roughest cart-tracks. When we 
come to a paling, we deliberately take it down, and, of course, put 
it up again. Sometimes we come to dells where the loveliest 
maidenhair fern grows wild, and we fill the carriage with it and 
the pink epacris. As to the sweet wild geranium which abounds, 



SYDNEY. 1 9 

it is thought quite extraordinary that we should care to gather it ! 
Yesterday we went "by rail to Paramatta, and drove to the great 
orange gardens, and noticed one group of trees from 40 to 45 feet 
high, the stems being nearly a foot in diameter, and the lowest 
branch three feet above my head. I do not remember any so large 
in Malta or elsewhere. It seemed strange to see these gardens 
with such wealth of fruit and blossom, while the neighbouring 
peach and pear orchards were all leafless. We drove on to the 
camellia gardens, and paid five shillings for quite a small basket- 
ful, though millions of blossoms were wasting their loveliness, and 
I would fain have carried off even those that lay unheeded on the 
grass. To-night there is a great ball at the Masonic Hall, to which 
we go, being bound to see everything. 



CHAPTEK IIL 

LIFE IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS DEATH OF COMMODORE 

GOODENOUGH LIFE IN THE BUSH. 

Fbom a tiny Cottage at the Weatherboard in thk 

Blue Mountains, New South Wales, 

Begun Aug. 19, 1875. 

You see I have contrived to escape from the region of fine clothes 
and prolonged meals ! Oh dear, what a trial it is to be invited to 
luncheon at some lovely place, where you go expecting a pleasant 
day out of doors, and find an immense party assembled for a stiff 
dinner of many courses, which takes nearly the whole afternoon ! 
The donors of the feast console themselves by a quiet evening 
stroll and late tea ; but the poor guest has to return to undergo 
a second long dinner as usual. Nevertheless I have had many 
delightful days in the neighbourhood of Sydney. 

You have no notion what a size the harbour is, and how im- 
mense is the amount of shipping always coming and going ! 
Great ships, and steamboats, and yachts, and tiny steam-launches, 
— sometimes I have counted eighteen or twenty steamers in sight 
at once. And then the out-of-the-way creeks are numberless. I 
think we have explored at least a score, sketching and picnicing, 
and I flatter myself I know the beauties of the harbour as well as 
the oldest Sydneyite. I learnt a good deal about it during a 



20 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

most enjoyable fortnight I spent with the "Wentworths, whoso 
lovely home, Greycliff, is close to the water, near the Heads, 
which are grand crags guarding the entrance, about six miles 
from the town. The Wentworths and Coopers own all the 
prettiest places thereabouts. We were out almost every day 
from morning till night, the boatmen making a fire and cooking 
our dinner in regular bush fashion, — iish just caught, potatoes and 
chops, &c. ; and always bush tea, boiled with milk in a kettle, — 
and very good it is under the circumstances, though I do not 
advise you to adopt the fashion. Steaming a snapper is the 
summit of culinary art — a snapper being a large fish, which is I 
cooked (cut up) with potatoes and scraps of bacon and onion, 
I confess I prefer the various small fish fried. One of the boat- 
men is Joe, a most jocular old black from Cape de Yerd; the \ 
other, Jamie Lee, a true gipsy. Of course kindred spirits frater- 
nised at once, and when he found I could pull a pretty strong ! 
oar, the conquest was complete ! So we had days of gipsying and ■ 
evenings of melody, Mrs Wentworth's sister being one of the most ' 
perfect musicians I ever met. I have also spent some pleasant 
days with th.3 Morts, whose lovely house, Greenoakes, is built as - 
a dream of Alton Towers, — all gables outside, and good old carved 
oak inside. And such a garden of camellias, pink, red, and white 
— great trees of them ! Amongst other things, Mr Mort owns 
one of the principal docks here, and an iron foundry ; also a great 
dairy-farm on the coast, with 500 coavs, all in milk ! But his 
all-engrossing interest is a great freezing establishment for con- 
veying meat to England. He has it killed in the mountains, 
brought to Sydney in iced trucks, and there received into genuine 
arctic regions, into which you descend shivering, and see innumer- 
able carcases, all frozen as hard as stone. These are to be con- 
veyed, frozen, to England, about 200 tons at a time. It is a 
gigantic experiment, on which Mr Mort has already sunk nearly 
£100,000. Everything about it is on new principles, and it is 
now all but in working order. It has been the labour of years, 
and is now just about to see daylight. 

You perceive my writing is shaky. I am in the train, return- ] 
ing to Sydney, whirling past orange orchards, and endless dull ■ 
bush, all of gum-trees. But everywhere there is an undergrowth 
of lovely bush flowers ; and here and there, from the crevices of 
the rock, there hangs a veil of creamy blossom,— I think they are P 
rock-lilies \ and there are some scarlet lilies, like crowns of fire ; 
and strange blossoms cf the waratau, which I cannot describe, \ 



SYDNEY. 21 

because it is so utterly unlike anything you ever saw, — something 
between a scarlet dahlia and an artichoke. But the glory of the 
bush is the feathery mimosa, which takes the place of our broom, 
and is covered with sheets of fragrant gold. There is also a 
lovely creeper (here they would say vine), with masses of lilac 
blossom — the Kennedia — which climbs the mimosas, and droops 
in richest trails of bright purply red. You can best realise the 
effect by picturing a bough of lilac wistaria overhanging a golden 
laburnum. Even the dull gum-trees, the eucalypti, become beauti- 
ful when covered with delicate yellowish blossoms. The sheep- 
farmers glory in the dreary tracts of land, the monotony of which 
is not varied by one gay flower. Happily the bush revels in 
colour, and I find upwards of fifteen totally different sorts of 
epacris — crimson, white, pink, and yellow. I call them heaths, 
but I am rebuked for so doing. Some are so fragrant that they 
scent the air like honey. But when I revel in wild flowers every 
one says, Oh, wait till you see the bush a month hence ! It will 
be one carpet of many colours. 

I must account for being so much away from Lady Gordon. 
Captain and Mrs Havelock have now joined us, and they were old 
friends in Mauritius. Latterly Captain H. has been acting as 
Governor of Seychelles, but Sir Arthur requested that he should 
be appointed to Fiji, where, I believe, he is to act as treasurer. 
Mrs Havelock shares Lady Gordon's taste for remaining quietly at 
home with the children, so they stay together at Sydney, while I 
do the sight- seeing. Mrs Havelock has one little girl, Eachel, 
Lady Gordon's god-child, — such a quaint, nice, tiny child, whom 
Jack and ]S"evil regard as an interesting doll, requiring great care. 
They are the very nicest little couple possible, — coaxy, loving little 
things,, and most picturesque. They are quite inseparable, and 
Lady Gordon has never left them for one night. Sir William and 
Lady Hackett have also arrived from Penang. He is to be judge 
in Fiji. Mr Maudslay, whom we met at Brisbane, has also joined 
our party. He is to be Sir Arthur's extra secretary, and if he 
finds the country suits him, will perhaps get permanent work in 
the Isles. He is devoted to botany, natural history, and kindred 
subjects of interest. Mr Maudslay and another gentleman escorted 
me to the Blue Mountains last week, where we put up at a very 
cosy inn and expeditionised. The gorges with great cliffs are very 
fine, and the valleys densely wooded. Sometimes we went down 
into deep gullies with tree-ferns far above our heads — very beau- 
tiful. When my two companions had to return to Sydney, I went 



22 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

to the tiny cottage where I began this letter. My host was a wood- 
cutter, with a clean, tidy wife, and a number of very neat children. 
Such nice people ! More independent and outspoken and self- 
respecting than English of the same class ; and the children are 
all so well brought up. I had spent a long day alone on the 
verge of a gorge edged with great precipices, and was walking 
home calmly in the clear moonlight, when I perceived a small 
regiment coming to meet me. These were all the sturdy young- 
sters, in age ranging from five to ten, coming in search of my 
remains ! The lion and the mice ! They escorted me home 
cheerily, chatting right out on all subjects ! It does seem odd 
to think of my being so at home, alone in these wild mountains, 
sitting all day by myself, miles from any human habitation, only 
seeing a pair of great eagles soaring overhead— no other living 
thing. 

August 29, 1875. 

The mails brought letters from you and your mother — both most 
welcome. But alas ! my pleasure in receiving them was marred f 
by terrible tidings, which reached us at the same moment, of a j : 
most horrible tragedy (of which you must have heard ere now) — 
namely, the treacherous murder of Commodore Goodenough, who, 
as you know, was the one to welcome me on my arrival in Sydney, 
and to give me house-room for the first fortnight of our stay. One I 
of the sunniest-hearted, most genial men I ever met, universally 
popular, and justly loved by all under his command. He was 
quite out of the common, — clever, the noblest type of an English 
naval officer, and as good as good could be. I mean, thoroughly 
religious, — the religion of a life showing itself in such care for his 
men, and for whatever could advance Christianity in the Isles, 
where he was constantly cruising about, and of which his know- 
ledge was very great. Personally, he had endeared himself to us 
all as a genuine good friend. His last cruise was to take Sir 
Arthur to Fiji, where he was present at his installation, when 
King Thakombau formally made personal submission to him as 
the Queen's representative. After this the Commodore took Sir 
Arthur in the Pearl to various Fijian isles; and then, dropping 
him, went off to look up some other groups. And I particularly 
want to impress upon you that these groups are as distinct as 
Russia, England, and India ; and that the people of one may be 
incarnate devils, while the next are positively dove-like. Our 
Christianised Fijians are of the latter sort. But alas ! the Com- 



DEATH OF COMMODORE GOODENOUGH. 23 

modore's cruise was to Santa Cruz — the same group in which, in 
1871, Bishop Patteson was murdered. (I suppose you have read 
that most touching story.) Those islanders have always been 
difficult to deal with, not understanding good white men, and 
ready to avenge on them the kidnapping practised by the scum 
who haunt these seas in the labour traffic. So on this occasion 
the Commodore, as usual, landed unarmed, and went among the 
natives in friendly conversation, as he had done on a previous 
visit. Something unusual in their manner struck him, and he 
proposed a retreat to the boat, when suddenly, without a moment's 
notice, one of them deliberately shot him with an arrow, which 
pierced his side. He was able to walk to the boat ; but a second 
arrow struck him in the head, and four of his young sailors were 
wounded. Even then, with what seemed mistaken kindness, he 
would not allow any bloodshed in revenge, but made his men fire 
blank-cartridge to frighten away the people, and then set fire to 
their wretched huts as a sufficient punishment. Well, at first, 
none of the wounds were considered dangerous, but, as almost 
invariably happens in that climate, after a few days tetanus {i.e., 
lock-jaw) set in, which means certain death in torture. The Com- 
modore lingered eight days. When he found he could not recover, 
he called each of his officers in turn, and kissed them, and said 
good-bye. Then he made them carry him on to the quarter-deck, 
where he said good-bye to all his men, and prayed for them. Then 
came the bitter end. One young sailor died just before him ; an- 
other next day. All this time the Pearl was sailing southward to 
get cooler climate for the sufferers, and so it came to pass that they 
were within two days' sail of Sydney when, on Friday, his spirit 
passed away. On Monday the Pearl, with her ensign half mast, 
and yard-arms topped on end, 1 in token of her burden of sorrow, 
re-entered the harbour, and the terrible news spread like wildfire. 
I think some blessed angel must have whispered the truth to poor 
Mrs Goodenough, for she positively knew the moment the Govern- 
ment House orderly came to summon her cousin, Mr Stanley of 
Aklerley, whose departure had providentially been delayed. The 
only word he had to utter was " Santa Cruz." That afternoon she 
was able to go on board and sit for three hours beside him (in the 
little cabin where they had spent so many happy hours, and where 
they always spent most of Sunday, going on board for service with 
the men). That was the one great comfort. On Wednesday she 
was able to follow him to the grave, with her two little sons. It 
1 Set all awry, in token of the death of her Commander. 



24 AT HOME IN IIJ1. 

was an immense public funeral. AU the sailors, marines, naval 
reserve, training-ship, N.S.W. artillery, all public men, and thou- 
sands of citizens attended. His coffin was on one gun-carriage ; 
those of the two sailors on another. They were laid on either side 
of him. He was only forty-four, and they were each about twenty 
years of age. ... 

I don't suppose you can fully realise how home this comes to us 
all We have been so much thrown together, and we expected the 
Commodore to be so valuable an ally for Sir Arthur. To him the 
loss is not only that of a reliable friend, but literally of a right 
hand. And it is so disheartening that .this second terrible shadow 
should overcloud the beginning of his work. It was bad enough 
before, when the awful scourge of measles was sweeping over the 
Isles, which literally carried off one-fourth of the whole popula- 
tion,' marking the beginning of British rule for ever as a time of 
misery. You see my surroundings have become of awful earnest, 
instead of the merry little joke which I thought I was taking up 
in coming to Fiji. ls T ot that -I regret having come. On the con- 
trary, I only rejoice to think that about ten days hence, if all is 
well,' we shall be on our way there. A company of Eoyal Engin- 
eers are expected by the Whampoa in a few days, and as soon as 
they arrive, the Egmont is to take them and us to Fiji. I am 
glad to hear they are commanded by our old friend Colonel Pratt. 
I will write again in a few days. 

DOSTTROON, NEAR THE MuRRTOIBIDGEE HlLLS, 

N.S. Wales, Sept. 2. 

Dear Eisa, — Here I am really in the Australian bush, though 
I find it hard to reconcile the term with living in a fine large house, 
with every appliance of the most advanced civilisation. I can 
assure you we were glad to find such comfort at the end of a long 
and very cold journey. 

The last detachment of our Fijian party started about three weeks 
a g — namely, the Havelocks and Sir William and Lady Hackett. 
since their departure, Lady Gordon and the children have been 
living at Government House with the Eobinsons ; and Mr Mauds- 
lay and I have improved our time, first by exploring the Blue 
Mountains, where there is some grand scenery ; and then we joined 
the Bishop of Grafton and Armadale and Mr Turner, and we came 
about two hundred miles, half by rail and half posting, to this 
place to see a true station. It is the property of the sole descend- 
ants of the old Campbells of Puntroon, on the Crinan Canal — most 






THE MURRUMBLDGEE HILLS. 25 

hospitable Scots. There are about 30,000 sheep, 500 horses, and 
1000 head of cattle on the station; a most comfortable house, and 
everything most luxurious ; lots of horses for riding or driving ; 
and I am getting over my belief that all Australian horses are 
buck-jumpers. Yesterday we had a great picnic to a waterfall 
eighteen miles off. I drove there, sketched, and rode back over 
fine grassy country. It was characteristic ; for, as we went along, 
we picked up recruits till we numbered in all seventeen riders — 
the brake with four horses, a dogcart, a buggie, and a cart. As 
to roads, no one here thinks of them. Without the slightest hesi- 
tation about springs, the brake and four will turn off into the bush, 
drive in and out among the trees, grazing the old stumps which 
stick up in every direction, and the felled or half-burnt timbers 
with which the ground is everywhere strewn, dodging morasses, 
and choosing the easiest bits of creeks (where you think you must 
overturn), through fords, &c, &c, for mile after mile. In short, 
I shall never again believe in the possibility of breaking springs ; 
for all carriages out here do the same thing, and they are all Eng- 
lish built. An English coachman would utterly refuse to take the 
same carriage over a cart-road. A good deal of the country here is 
open, rolling downs, which afford very pleasant riding — miles and 
miles without a fence. We have just been to a ploughing match, 
at which the chief noteworthy fact was seeing all the farm lasses 
riding. Every lass has her pony ; and a good many household 
servants arrive at their new situation on their own horse, just turn 
it out in their master's paddock, and catch and saddle it whenever 
they want to ride to the town. (This is necessary for fords rather 
than distance.) The country is moderately pretty ; but the weather 
is so bitterly cold that I have been driven in almost every time I 
have tried to get a sketch, generally by sleet, one day by down- 
right snow. Doesn't that sound strange to you, who are basking 
on heathery hills 1 One great charm of the bush here lies in the 
multitude of lovely cockatoos of every conceivable colour, especi- 
ally pure white ones with lemon-coloured crests, or pearly-grey, 
"trimmed" with delicate pink. Some are very dark and hand- 
some ; and the green parrots are legion. The gentlemen have shot 
several, and given us their plumes. They have also shot several 
small bears, — most harmless little beasts. 

Sir Arthur writes to Lady Gordon that the house he found ready 
at Nasova is very tolerable, and that he has begun to build the new 
rooms, so we hope to find our Fiji home ready when we arrive. 
Good-bye. 



26 AT HOME IN FIJI. 



CHAPTEE IV. 

ARRIVE IN FIJI TROPICAL LUXURY IN LEVUKA KING THAKOMBAU 

PLAGUE OF MEASLES. 

From Mrs Havelock's House, Levuka, Isle of Ovalau, 
Fiji, Sunday, Sept. 26, 1875. 

Here we actually are, safely landed in Fiji ! We embarked on 
the Egmont on the 9th, and left Sydney at midnight. The 
Egmont was specially chartered to carry the Engineers. Their 
officers are Colonel Pratt, Captain Stewart, Mr Lake, and Dr 
Carew. Our only other companions were the Kev. Erederick and 
Mrs Langham, superintendent of the Wesleyan Mission, who have 
lived in the group for seventeen years, and have seen Fiji in all 
its changes ; and many a tale of horror they have told me. They 
are a kind, genial couple, while she is a gentle little woman, whom 
it is hard to associate with such scenes as she has had to go 
through. Mr Langham made great friends with some of the 
Engineers ; and a few of the more thoughtful men told him they 
were thinking that perhaps they might be of some use to the poor 
ignorant people, — perhaps teach some of them to read and write. 
Mr Langham expressed his pleasure at their good intentions, but 
added, " I think that you will find that some of them can read a 
little. We have already established some schools in Fiji, — about 
fourteen hundred schools and nine hundred churches I " I think 
the Engineers were not the only people who opened their eyes at 
this statement, which is strictly true ! 

Our voyage was not altogether pleasant. The Pacific proved 
false to its name, and favoured us with " a northerly buster," which 
is a much more rare occurrence than the "southerly buster," of 
which we have heard so much, and which did not seem to find 
much favour with any one except the beautiful albatross, who 
evidently gloried in the gale. We were all more or less ill — even 
the captain ; and we liked it all the less, as the wind drove us out 
of our course and allowed us no chance of touching at Norfolk 
Island, as Ave had hoped to do. 

Ten days' steam brought us to Khandavu, a remote isle lying 
far to the south of the group, and rarely visited by the regular 
white inhabitants, yet the only Fijian isle ever seen by casual 



LEVUKA. 27 

travellers, and consequently the text for many a lengthened 
description of the group. 

On the following morning, Sunday 19 th, we neared Ovalau, and 
found ourselves surrounded by many isles, of which we caught 
glimpses from time to time ; but thick mist alternated with down- 
pours of rain, and the isles looked grey and cold, like many much 
nearer home ! It was early dawn when we found Ourselves lying 
off Levuka, the capital ; but the land was shrouded in dense mist, 
and not a glimpse could we obtain of the hills, which rise to a 
height of 3000 feet just behind the town. What mattered more, 
we were for nine hours in rough water outside the coral-reef (which 
encircles the isle of Ovalau at about a mile from the shore), and 
were actually within sound of the church bells, though we could 
see literally nothing till a lull in the storm revealed the passage — 
i.e., the opening in the barrier reef, through which we passed into 
the quiet harbour of Levuka. 

Just then a bright gleam of sunshine fell like a ray of promise 
on the little town, with its background of richly wooded hills, and 
dark craggy pinnacles far overhead, appearing above the white 
wreaths of floating mist. It was very lovely, and we were duly 
charmed; but our delight on arriving was somewhat damped by 
finding ourselves utterly unexpected. Great w r as the perturbation 
in Levuka when the inhabitants, coming peacefully out of church, 
perceived the Egmont quietly steaming in ! Greater still was the 
excitement at Nasova, for no one seemed to have believed Lady 
Gordon was really coming, and her new house is still a mere 
skeleton. Even the Engineers were not expected for some days. 
Indeed, the official information of their having left England 
arrived about an hour after themselves, by a mail via New 
Zealand ! 

After some delay Sir Arthur came and took us ashore to Nasova, 
where we had lunch in the house which was built to be the 
council -chamber of Thakombau's Government — a place of many 
memories, the last being its use as a hospital-barrack during the 
recent terrible scourge of measles, from which, in spite of most 
tender nursing by Captain Olive, K.N., several of his men died. 
(I must explain that Captain Olive came here with Commodore 
Goodenough, and liked the place and people so much that he was 
appointed head of the native constabulary; and now he is a sort of 
additional A.D.C. to the Governor.) 

In the evening we all returned on board the Egmont, as no other 
quarters were ready for us. Early next morning Lady Gordon and 



28 AT HOME m FIJI. 

the children went ashore, but I stayed on board, thinking I might 
as well secure a sketch of the town from the ship, as the view 
thence was lovely. In the afternoon Captain Knollys brought 
back the children, and Captain Havelock came to say that his wife 
had prepared a corner for me in her wee bungalow, charmingly 
perched on a breezy headland overlooking the harbour. This was 
pleasant news ; and I soon found myself cordially welcomed to a 
most cosy little nest, very small, but one of the nicest little homes 
here. 

You need not imagine that the bungalows here are like those 
bowers of delight I have described to you in other tropical coun- 
tries. There are no wide verandahs, over which veils of luxuriant 
creepers weave garlands of delight, and no heavy scent of tropical 
blossoms perfumes the night air. Here few people have had time, 
or care, to cultivate flowers ; and somehow those who have, have 
only succeeded on a very small scale. Even the fireflies, which we 
demand as a positive right in all tropical lands, are very few and 
very dim. As to the houses, they are all alike hideous, being 
built of wood (weatherboard is the word), and roofed with corru- 
gated iron or zinc, on which the mad tropical rains pour with 
deafening noise ; or else the burning sun beats so fiercely as well- 
nigh to stifle the inmates, to whom the luxuries of punkahs and 
ice are unknown ; and even baths are by no means a matter of 
course, as in other hot countries. 

We have not come to a land flowing with milk and honey in 
any sense. Daily food is both difficult to obtain and expensive. 
Fish is scarcely to be had at any price, though the sea swarms with 
many good kinds. Foreign vegetables are not to be got for love 
or money. The supply of fruit is very scant, consisting only of 
indifferent bananas, pine-apples, and oranges; and such as are 
brought to market are very poor. Milk is Is. a quart; eggs, 3s. a 
dozen. Indifferent meat is about the same price as in England ; 
poultry a good deal dearer. Washing varies from 4s. to 6s. a 
dozen, not including dresses or petticoats ; and any lady who 
ventures to have her cuffs and collars, or other small pieces, washed 
at home, finds that not one of the scrubbing fraternity will under- 
take her work. To people accustomed to washing in India and 
Ceylon at Is. a dozen, this is of itself a startling item. As to 
house-rent in Levuka, it is simply exorbitant : four guineas a- week 
being the moderate price paid, though taken by the year, for this 
tiny little one-storeyed bungalow, the whole of which, offices in- 
cluded, would easily fit into a moderately large room at home. 



LEVUKA. 29 

And this is the country to which the Colonial Office sends men at 
ridiculously small salaries, because, as they were told ere leaving 
England, living would cost them nothing, and they could save all 
their pay ! Why, a man without private fortune could hardly live 
here at all ! Of course, all imported goods are necessarily expen- 
sive, having to pay freight first to Sydney and then to Levuka. 

But oh, above all, the miseries every housekeeper must daily 
endure in wrestling with a household of utter savages, even sup- 
posing her to be fortunate enough to get a good well-meaning set ! 
Hitherto my ideas of native servants have been derived from the 
faultless cooks and other excellent attendants of India, quick, wide- 
awake, and neat-handed; whereas here you probably begin by 
having one or two Fijians, who look very intelligent, but prove 
hopelessly stupid, or rather utterly careless about learning our 
strange new ways. Day after day you must show them exactly how 
everything is to be done, and may be certain that each time it will 
be done wrong, and that the moment your back is turned they will 
proceed to twist up a bit of tobacco in a banana-leaf, and deliber- 
ately smoke their cigarette before touching the work you have given 
them. Probably they will follow you to ask where the matches 
are, and the only answer to any remonstrance is " malua " (by- 
and-by), a universal principle which is the bane of Fijian life. 
They are very honest, though sometimes they cannot resist borrow- 
ing large English bath-towels, which make most tempting suliis 
(i.e., kilt) ; and nice cambric handkerchiefs are a tempting covering 
for caref ulty-dressed hair. It would be quite right and proper that 
they should use things belonging to their own chiefs, so we need 
not wonder that they cannot always discriminate. But the would- 
be housekeeper certainly needs boundless patience and unfailing 
gentleness. Any other course would make a Eijian altogether give 
up the attempt to learn anything. 

Most people seem to prefer engaging servants from among the 
"foreign labour" — i.e., men who have been brought from other 
groups on a three years' engagement to work. Most of these are 
truly hideous, but they are generally more diligent, and more 
anxious to learn their work, than the Fijians, who, as a rule, seem 
to be chiefly taken up with the contemplation of their own beauty : 
certainly many of them are unusually fine men, with strong 
muscular frame and good features, set off by a splendid head of 
frizzy hair — not so big as the gigantic mop they wore in heathen 
times, but still very large and carefully dressed. Some have really 
silky hair. 



30 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

But in the matter of servants, the chief difficulty is to get a cook 
who knows anything at all. The very unsatisfactory person known 
as an English " plain cook " would here be a household treasure, 
compared with the English or Chinese wretches who by turns 
experiment on your unfortunate digestion, at not less th m £1 per 
week. I cannot tell how many changes Mrs Havelock, Mrs 
Macgregor, Mrs de Bicci, Lady Hackett, and Mrs Abbey, have 
already had in their respective households ; but anyhow, it would 
be a long list. Mrs Abbey and her husband have already done 
wonders towards getting Nasova made habitable, and have also 
started a farmyard and a garden ; so, - eventually, we shall have 
poultry and vegetables secured. A room has been found for Lady 
Gordon — very noisy and uncomfortable, however ; and the children 
are for the present living in a pretty little house close by, belonging 
to the Thurstons, who will scarcely care to give it up for long ; so 
the work at the new rooms is being pushed on in earnest. Good- 
bye for the present. 

September 29, 1875. 

. . . You may tell the boys that at last I really have seen 
the King of the Cannibal Islands, and a fine stately old fellow he 
is, with a bright intelligent countenance, and very chief-like, com- 
manding carriage. I am told he was born about 1815, but he 
certainly appears older ; his grey hair looks so strange round the 
brown face. He and several other high chiefs from various parts 
of the group have been staying at Driemba, a village of native 
houses just beyond Nasova, where they have been exchanging 
counsel on affairs of the State. I am told that he never appears 
so dignified as when he is addressing his brother chiefs on disputed 
questions. This afternoon they all came to JNasova for a farewell 
meeting with Sir Arthur ere returning to their respective dominions. 
Of course they had a solemn drinking of yangona, and one chief 
was appointed Boko of his district (i.e., chief officer in charge) ; 
after which there was a very pretty mefre, 1 when a number of the 
people assembled to dance and sing, dressed in native cloth, grace- 
fully worn as drapery, with kilts and fringes of black water-weed, 
long reedy grass-coloured leaves or climbing ferns thrown over one 
shoulder and round the waist, also round the arms and below the 
knee. They danced a circular dance, turning sunwise, with many 
varied figures, and with immense action, while the non-dancers 
stood in the middle, making vocal music and beating time on a 
1 Mike describes either a song or a dance, or both combined. 



KING THAKOMBAU. 31 

drum. The words of these songs are very old, and never alter 
from the dialect in which they were at first composed, so they are 
not understood by the singers themselves. It was a very interest- 
ing scene. 

But I do regret not having seen the grand ceremony of Sir 
Arthur's arrival, when (on the 25th June) Thakombau and all his 
sons, and five hundred vassals, came to Nasova, and formally did 
homage to him, — the first time the old chief has acknowledged 
any earthly superior. They brought the customary offerings of 
yams, turtle, &c. Then Thakombau's herald carried a yangona 
root, of which the Vuni Valu (i.e., Eoot of War, as the old chief is 
generally called) broke off a small piece, which he placed in Sir 
Arthur's hands, with a few words of greeting. Sir Arthur formally 
accepted the root, and the Vuni Valu then addressed his people, 
saying he was glad to welcome the Queen's representative, and that 
he and all his people would obey her law as their only safeguard. 
Sir Arthur then addressed the chiefs, entreating them to put away 
their rivalries and jealousies, and work together for the common 
weal, suggesting to them as a parable, a canoe paddled by many 
men, some pulling backwards and some forwards; what would 
become of canoe and people? 

A week later, Sir Arthur was invited by Thakombau to a great 
meeting of chiefs at Bau, where there was a very solemn cere- 
monial, yangona-drinking, when all present formally acknowledged 
him as their feudal lord, and solemnly pledged him as such. There 
were about two hundred chiefs present, a greater number than had 
probably ever assembled before ; indeed, hitherto, the majority had 
lived in such a condition of ceaseless warfare, that they had never 
met save as foes. Even the tiny isle of Bau, on which the meet- 
ing was held, was formerly divided into seven antagonistic com- 
munities, at war one with the other. So this meeting really was 
a very important act of feudal homage, and all present joined in 
the tama, a curious deep-toned acclamation of ndua woh ! ndua 
woh ! which is the vassal's salutation to his feudal lord, and which 
on this occasion proclaimed the Queen's representative as their 
superior, the first chief of Fiji. Now all the people who pass 
Kasova (Government House), either by sea or land, shout this 
greeting. 

Certainly these brown men are a fine race. Such a contrast to 
the hideous blacks, of whom we saw a few, in Australia. The 
latter are such a wretched race, that it seems rather an advantage 
to humanity that they should die out; but it is a very different 



32 AT HOME IN' FIJI. 

matter with, these stalwart intelligent fellows and bright friendly 
women. And really it is too sad to hear of the awful ravages of 
the measles in the early part of this year. 

Do you realise that one-third of the whole population has died ? 
— that is to say, 40,000 have died out of a population of 120,000. 
And the saddest thing of all is, that the terrible scourge was 
brought here in an English man-of-war, H.M.S. Dido, in which, 
last January, Thakombau and his sons returned from Sydney, 
where they had gone to visit Sir Hercules Eobinson, and so prove 
their implicit confidence in their new friends and protectors. At 
Sydney, Eatu Joe and Eatu Timothy, the king's younger sons, 
took measles of a mild type, as did also two servants ; and on the 
return voyage the old chief was slightly unwell, — so slightly, that 
the question of quarantine was never even, suggested, and on 
reaching Levuka he was allowed at once to go ashore. Vassals 
and kindred came from all parts of the group to receive him, and, 
according to custom, fervently sniffed his hand or his face, there- 
by, alas J breathing the unsuspected poison. A few days later 
Mr Layard held a meeting on the Eewa, to which came chiefs 
from all parts of the interior of Viti Levu, representing the 
mountain tribes ; there were about a thousand people present. 
To this meeting went some from Levuka, who had already caught 
the measles, without being as yet unAvell The infection spread, 
and the seeds of the disease were thus carried by the mountain 
chiefs to their respective districts, where it rapidly extended, 
proving fatal to a vast number of the people, and to nearly all 
the chiefs who had been present at the meeting with the white 
chief (Mr Layard). Of course it was only natural that they 
should attribute this to poison or witchcraft, and that the tribes 
who had only recently accepted Christianity, or were on the eve i 
of doing so, should conclude that this was a Heaven-sent punish- 
ment for forsaking the gods of their fathers and giving up their 
lands to the white men. So they retreated to their mountain 
strongholds, banished theii teachers, returned to heathenism, and 
openly repudiated the recently accepted British rule. We heard 
of an instance in which one of the teachers having died, even the 
Christian villagers deemed it expedient so far to return to their 
old customs as to bury his wife and children in the same grave 
with liirr as a propitiation to the spirit of the murrain. But. as 
a rule, the Christians stood their ground firmly, and the marvel 
is that so very few should have relapsed. Among the first victims 
was a very good man, Eatu Savanatha, one of the most able and 



PLAGUE OF MEASLES. 33 

intelligent of the chiefs, and who had done all in his power to 
explain to the Kai Tholos (i.e., people of the mountains) the 
advantages of English rule. 

So from every corner of the group came tidings that the plague 
was raging. Whole villages were stricken down — young men and 
maidens, old men and children, lay dead or dying. The handful 
of white people, as a rule, did their utmost to help, and gave all 
the food and medicine they possessed ; but their own labourers 
and their own children were stricken, and needed more care than 
they could give ; nor were there lacking bad white men who went 
about telling the natives that the disease had been purposely 
introduced to kill them and get their lands. So the plain medical 
directions which were at once published were ignored, and the 
white man's medicine too often refused, from a conviction that it 
would cause certain death. Native medicines, and bad, ill-cooked 
food, made matters worse. Of course anything like isolation of 
the sick was impossible ; nor could they be prevented from rush- 
ing to the nearest water to cool their burning fever. How could 
men who are continually bathing and swimming be persuaded that 
this could harm them'? So the rash was thrown in, and congestion 
of the lungs and dysentery of the most malignant type were 
brought on in thousands of cases. 

Apart from this irresistible craving to lie down in cool streams, 
it would have been a hard task for the poor sufferers to keep them- 
selves dry, for an unparalleled rainfall converted whole districts 
into dreary swamps, where dysentery and starvation completed the 
work of death. The people were too weak to go to their gardens 
(which are often far away on some steep hillside), and so there 
were none to carry food ; besides, a cold wretched walk through 
the long wet reeds was almost certain doom. At last the few who 
were well began to herd together, forsaking the sick, and scarcely 
exerting themselves to give them a drink of water, or prepare such 
food as they had. In some districts, as in the isle of Ono, the 
people were literally starving, digging up wild roots, and eating 
old cocoa-nuts only fit for making oil Then they lay down, all 
alike stricken, for the most part awaiting the fate they deemed 
inevitable, with that strange apathetic calm which characterises .a 
race wholly indifferent to life. At last the living were unable to 
bury the dead, and there was good cause to dread lest a worse 
pestilence, in the form of typhus, should be produced by the 
horrible putrefaction which poisoned the air. On the king's little 
island of Eau (the special home of the nobles, and which is small 

c 



34 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

and overcrowded), all were ill at once. Canoes bearing the dead 
were ceaselessly crossing to the mainland, where the graveyards 
lie ; the cries of mourners and the death-drums resounded day and 
night. There, too, the people were starving ; they had no strength 
to go ashore to the mainland for food. Many of the finest chiefs 
and teachers died. 

At the Missionary Institute all the students were down ; hut 
thanks to unwearied nursing day and night, most of them re- 
covered. 

Of course all the native constabulary were seized ; but, thanks 
to the devoted care of Lieutenant Olive, late of the Eoyal Marines, 
comparatively few died. He turned ISTasova into a great hospital, 
and distributed his 150 patients all over it, appointing those who 
were less ill guards over the very sick, to prevent their yielding to 
the fatal impulse to rush into the cool blue sea, which lay so 
temptingly at their very door. By dint of indefatigable exertions, 
and a generosity that spared not the utmost expenditure of his 
private means on comforts, and indeed necessaries, for his sick men, 
he had the unspeakable satisfaction of saving all but ten, and these 
fell victims to their own craving for the cool waters. They 
managed to escape from their guards, and lay down in the sea, 
thus sealing their own doom. 

All the details that come from every isle are alike harrowing. 
Whole towns are deserted, every house closed. The dead have 
been buried in their own houses, and these having fallen, the raised 
foundation on which every Fijian house is built has now become a 
platform on which lie the graves of the whole family, marked by 
the red leaves of dracaena or other jflants. Perhaps one wretched 
orphan alone survives. The coast towns seem to have suffered more 
severely than those in the mountains, owing to the fact of their 
being generally built in mangrove-swamps, or some other morass, 
as being better concealed and more easily defended in the inter- 
tribal wars which have hitherto been of ceaseless occurrence. We 
are told of some teachers who fled from their villages, but were 
overtaken by the disease and died. The majority acted as noble 
examples to their flocks, but many died at their posts ; indeed one 
district alone has lost ninety, and the district next to it forty, 
native ministers and teachers, all carefully trained men, — a loss not 
to be quickly replaced. Of the 40,000 who are computed to have 
perished, 35,000 were personally known to the Wesleyan teachers 
as being either professedly Christians or under instruction. 

It appears that the measles, which we consider such a simple and 



LEVUKA. 35 

infantile complaint, invariably assumes a character more like the 
plague when first introduced in one of these South Sea isles. In 
1860 it was unfortunately taken to the Mare Loyalty group, and 
one-fifth of the population died. The Dido unfortunately put 
three persons ashore on Norfolk Island, on her way to Fiji ; they 
also carried the measles, which spread to the whole community. 
Afterwards she landed some time - expired labourers at the Isle 
Malicolo, and there too, it is reported that many have died. 

This is the first epidemic of any sort that has visited Fiji, and 
its results naturally make, the introduction of any other infectious 
disease a thing to be dreaded. Just imagine how appalling would 
be the results of small-pox, for instance ! And as hitherto there 
have been no quarantine laws, this might have been brought by 
any vessel. Even now there is the greatest anxiety lest it should 
be carried by the large steamers which call at Khandavu every 
month, on their way to and from San Francisco, Australia, and 
New Zealand. Of course the strictest quarantine regulations have 
now been issued; and Dr Mayo is stationed at Khandavu to 
enforce them, as also to vaccinate the whole population, and very 
monotonous work he finds it, however necessary. Happily the 
people take rather kindly to the operation. They have a fancy for 
making scars on their skin, both as a remedy and an ornament, so 
the process is rather attractive ; and they come voluntarily to the 
doctor (whom they call matai-ni-mate, " carpenter of death ") to 
request his good offices. Now you will think I am never going to 
stop writing, so I may as well say good-bye. 



CHAPTEE V. 

LEVUKA THE HARBOUR CORAL-REEF CHURCHES ANIMAL LIFE 

PLANTS HOW TO BREW YANGONA PICNICS SPEAR-THROWING. 

With Mrs Havelock, Levdka, 
Saturday, October 2, 1875. 

Dear Nell, — I cannot say how I long to have you here to share 
the delight of sitting on this high headland overlooking the lovely 
sea. The air is balmy, and we almost always have a faint delicious 
breeze (sometimes it is anything but faint !) From this tiny garden 



36 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

we look down through a veil of glittering palm-leaves, brightened 
by a foreground of rosy oleanders, and vivid scarlet hybiscus ; and 
between these glimmer the blue waters of the Pacific, and dreamy 
isles which seem to float on the horizon. I think, on a clear day, 
we can count eight or ten of these. 

Just below us lies the harbour, like a calm sea-lake, on which 
ride vessels of all sizes : trading schooners and brigs, which carry 
the produce of the isles to Australia and New Zealand. Larger 
vessels trade with Germany. Then there is an occasional man-of- 
war or merchant steamer, and always native canoes passing to and 
fro, with great three-cornered yellow mat sails, and brown men, who 
often sing quaint mekes as they approach the town, with an odd 
sort of accompaniment on their lali, or wooden drum. The chiefs' 
canoes carry a flag, and sometimes a fringe of streamers of native 
cloth floating from the sail ; and the canoe itself is adorned at both 
ends with glistening white shells like poached eggs (Cyprea ovifor- 
mis). Sometimes several canoes pass us racing, or they meet, and 
their sails at different angles form pretty groups. How striking a 
scene it must have been, when, in the old days, the chiefs sailed 
forth to war at the head -of a large fleet of these ! On one such 
occasion, when Thakombau went to attack Verata, he mustered a 
hundred and twenty-nine canoes. Only think how bravely they 
must have flown before the breeze, with the golden sunlight on 
the yellow sails ! These canoes are balanced by large outriggers — 
that is, a beam of wood, or piece of cocoa-palm stem, floating along- 
side, and attached to the canoe by bamboos. They are most 
picturesque, and the great mat sails, seen against the intense blue 
of the water, are a valuable addition to the scene. Indeed the eye 
that loves exquisite colour can never weary here. 

The rich blue of the harbour is separated from the purplish 
indigo of the great ocean by a submarine rainbow of indescribable 
loveliness. This is caused by the coral-reef, which produces a 
gleaming ray as if from a hidden prism. The patches of coral, 
sea-weed, and sometimes white sand, lying at irregular depths, 
beneath a shallow covering of the most crystalline emerald-green 
water, produce every shade of aqua marine, mauve, sienna, and 
orange, all marvellously blended. The shades are continually vary- 
ing with the ebb and flow of the tide, which at high water covers 
the reef to the depth of several feet, while at low tide patches here 
and there stand high and dry, or are covered by only a few inches 
of water ; treacherous ground, however, on which to land, as the 
sharp coral spikes break under the feet, cutting the thickest leather, 



TREASURES OF THE DEEP. 37 

and perhaps landing you in a hole several feet in depth, with still 
sharper coral down below. The highest edge of the reef lies to- 
wards the ocean, and a line of dazzling white surf marks where the 
great green breakers wage their ceaseless warfare on the barrier; 
but the passage through the reef is plainly marked by a break in 
the white line, and a broad roadway of deep blue connecting the 
inner waters with the great deep ; and this, again, passes in gradual 
gradations of colour, from the intense blue of the harbour to the 
glittering green of the shallow water on the inner side of the reef. 
Altogether it is most fascinating. The scene is loveliest at noon, 
when the sun is right overhead, and lights up the colours beneath 
the water on the coral caves. Also you must be some way up the 
hill to get a good view of the reef. Of the radiant opal tints which 
overspread sea, isles, and sky, at the outgoings of morning and 
evening, I need not tell you; our own northern shores supply 
sunrise and sunset colours more vivid than we often see in the 
tropics. 

This afternoon has been one of unmitigated enjoyment spent on 
the reef, where for so many days I have enviously watched the 
Fijian girls disporting themselves at low tide, and bringing back 
baskets full of all sort of curious fish, many of them literally rain- 
bow-coloured. Some are most gorgeous, and are called parrot-fish. 
They have large bony beaks, rather than ordinary mouths, to enable 
them to feed on the coral, which at certain seasons are said to be 
"in flower," and very unwholesome; so we always eat these radiant 
fish with some qualms, and not without good reason, for some people 
have had the ill-luck to get poisoned, and have suffered severely in 
consequence. 

Our great authority on all questions of natural history is Mr 
Layard (brother of Nineveh Layard), who, before annexation, held 
the office of British Consul in this place. He and his son have a 
special talent for capturing strange monsters of the deep, and I 
never call on Mrs Layard without her showing me some new object 
of interest. They live in a large old wooden house, built on the 
very edge of the water ; in fact, the sea washes up underneath the 
verandah, which opens on to a long wooden pier in the last stages 
of decay. I should think the position most unsafe, in view of pos- 
sible tidal waves, especially as a small mountain stream (which occa- 
sionally becomes a torrent) washes one side of the house, — so that 
from one window the inmates can have fresh-water fishing, and from 
the other salt. That old pier has been a source of infinite pleasure 
to many. It enables Mrs Layard to have a little fresh air, and a 



38 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

small walk, -without venturing among the broken bottles ami mud 
which form the beach ; and her husband and son thence capture 
many strange creatures when they have not time to row off to the 
reef, which is, of course, the very ideal of a naturalist's happy hunt- 
ing-grounds, and there they took me this afternoon. You really 
cannot imagine anything more lovely than it was. The first essen- 
tial is to go in a boat which draws very little water, and which has 
no new paint to be considered. Then when the tide is low, and 
the sea without a ripple, you float idly over the coral-beds, suffering 
your boat to lie at rest or drift with the current, as a stroke of the 
oars would disturb the clear surface of the water, beneath which 
lie such inexhaustible stores of loveliness. Every sort and kind of v 
coral grow together there, from the outstretched branches, which 
look like garden shrubs, to the great tables of solid coral, on which 
lie strewn shells and sponges, and heaps of brain and mushroom 
corals. 

These living shrubs assume every shade of colour: some are \ 
delicate pink or blue; others of a brilliant mauve; some pale 
primrose. But vain is the attempt to carry home these beautiful 
flowers of the sea ; their colour is their life. It is, in fact, simply 
a gelatinous slime, which drips away, as the living creatures melt 
away and die, when exposed to the upper air. So the corals we 
know in England are merely skeletons, and very poor substitutes 
for the lovely objects we see and covet in their native condition. 

Besides, like everything in that submarine garden, much of its 
charm is derived from the medium through which we behold it — 
the clear translucent water, which spreads a glamour of enchantment 
over objects already beautiful, glorifying the scarlet corallines and 
the waving branches of green and brown weed, wherein play ex- j ; 
quisite fish of all vivid hues and sizes, from the tiniest gem-like j 
atoms which flash in the light like sapphires and rubies, to the j 
great big-headed parrot-fish, which has strong white teeth specially 
adapted for crunching the coral, and thence extracting the insects 
on which he feeds. 

There are great red fish, and purple-green fish, and some of bright 
gold, with bars or spots of black ; but loveliest of all are the shoals 
of minute fish, some of the most vivid green, others of a blue that 
is quite dazzling. Some have markings so brilliant that I can only 
compare them to peacocks' feathers. These all congregate in fami- 
lies, and a happy life they surely must have. Some of the loveliest 
of these are so tiny that you can keep a dozen in a tumbler; others 
are about the length of your finger. Only think what a prize they 



THE CORAL-REEF. 39 

would be if we could convey them safely to the great aquariums of 
Britain ! Besides these myriads of minute fish, there are all manner 
of living creatures which peep out from their homes beneath the 
ledges and crevices of the coral, — vigilant crabs of all sizes and 
colours, and sea-anemones in endless variety, and wonderful speci- 
mens of Echini. 

Picture to yourself first cousins of the fragile sea -eggs which 
used to rejoice our childhood, and make us marvel how they ever 
came ashore unbroken. These Fijian relations are armed with 
spikes like slate-pencils, nearly as thick as your middle finger, and 
a good deal longer. I think Mr Layard said their name is Acro- 
cladia. To-day we captured a most extraordinary creature, a star- 
fish, which seemed as if it must be nearly related to the sea-urchin, 
for its fifteen arms were each covered with grey and orange spines, 
very sharp, precisely like those of the echinus, while the under 
side was a mass of pale-yellow fleshy feelers, like those of a sea- 
anemone, with a sucker at the end of each. It was a strange and 
most interesting creature when we first beheld it, but looked very 
unhappy when it found itself in a bucket ; and when reduced to 
"a specimen," it will be a poor ugly object. 1 

We saw a great number of large star-fish, of the deepest Albert 
blue, and innumerable other beautiful things, which gained greatly 
in interest from being shown to me by one so familiar with them 
all as is Mr Layard. How you would delight in such an afternoon 
as this has been, and how the boys would revel in it ! It is not 
altogether pleasant, however, to try walking on the reef, and you 
generally have to get natives to dive for anything particularly good. 
They never seem afraid of the many sharp teeth and stinging crea- 
tures which may dart out from the coral ; and not being troubled 
by over- much raiment, they dive in and out like fishes (though, as 
a general rule, they do dislike wetting their hair). To them the 
reef is a source of endless amusement and profit, and at low tide 
there are generally some canoes lying in the shallow water; while 
the girls and young men are hunting for the spoils of the sea, 
which they carry in three-cornered baskets, slung from the waist. 
Of course they do not care to spoil their simple raiment with salt 
water, so a considerable portion of their dress on these occasions 
consists of deep fringes and garlands of many-coloured leaves, which 
are a most becoming drapery, with their rich brown skin and 
tawny head. 

The existence of these barrier-reefs is an unspeakable benefit to 
* Acanthaster solari?. 



40 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

the isles, supplying them with natural breakwaters and harbours, 
surrounding each with a lagoon of calm, shallow water, on which the 
smallest boats can ply as safely as on an inland lake, and within 
shelter of which they can, in most places, pass from one isle to 
another. There is invariably a passage through the reef opposite 
the mouth of any river, as the coral insect cannot live within the 
influence of fresh water. Thus an entrance is secured to the haven 
of rest, and a very strait and narrow way it often is, and one which 
calls for careful steering, when the angry breakers are dashing in 
mad fury on the reef on either side — great rolling waves curling up- 
ward in a succession of mighty walls of green water, and falling in 
such a surging cataract of foam as would make short work of the 
luckless canoe that should drift within their reach. Once inside 
the reef all is secure, save when some unusual storm troubles even 
these calm waters, as it might ruffle the surface of any lake. 

It is hard to realise that these mighty sea-walls are indeed the 
work of microscopic insects, — star-like creatures, invisible to the 
naked eye ■ but so it is. It is said they cannot live at a greater 
depth than thirty fathoms, yet the height of the coral-wall is in 
many cases double or treble this measurement, and iij some cases a 
sheer descent of two hundred fathoms has been found. The in- 
ference is, that many of these isles, as well as the ocean-bed from 
which the coral rises, are gradually subsiding, and the insects are 
continually working upwards. In some cases the island has alto- 
gether disappeared, and there remains only a circular or crescent 
shaped reef, perhaps fringed with cocoa-palms, encircling a calm 
lagoon of clear green water, the sea all round being of the deepest 
blue. These are called atolls, and are sometimes many miles in 
circumference. Some scarcely rise above the water-level, and only 
a ring of white coral sand betrays their existence. 

The coral-reef gives us various hints of the rise and fall in the 
level of the ocean-bed, for while some islands have wholly dis- 
appeared, others are even now emerging from the waters. In some 
groups coral- cliffs have been found forty feet above the water-level 
— in other words, above the height where the insect could live, 
thus showing clearly that these rocks have been gradually up- 
heaved. But in the Fijian group there are few islands which are 
not almost encircled by a barrier-reef of considerable depth, which 
would seem to indicate that they are actually subsiding. How- 
ever, the process is likely to be a slow one, and a matter of no 
great moment to the present generation, or their successors for 
many years to come. 



LEVUKA. 41 

I have spun a longer yarn than I intended, but it will help you 
to realise the sort of things that I am daily looking at, and will 
make the boys wish they were with me. 

Monday, ilh October. 

Dear Jean, — ... I have just come in from such a scramble. 
Certainly those hills of Ovalau are most tantalising. From the sea 
they do look so attractive, and not particularly difficult to ascend ; 
but when it comes to the attempt, you find that even in the rare 
instances where the semblance of a footpath exists, it takes a very 
goodr scambler to follow it, over great boulders of rock, or up 
almost perpendicular banks of soapy mud. Should you attempt 
to leave the path, you find it almost impossible to force a passage 
through the dense underwood ; and even the tracks, which from 
the sea look like grass, turn out to be tall reeds, reaching far above 
your head, and matted together with strong vines (which totally 
prevent your advance), and large spiders' webs, which cling to 
your face and hair. Still, it is worth a considerable exertion, for 
the reward of at length reaching some point whence you can look 
down on the lovely sea and all the far-away isles. 

This island is itself quite beautiful, though by no means a 
desirable one on which to establish ^capital, as.it consists entirely 
of very steep hills, rising to a height of about 3000 feet, crowned 
with great crags, and rent by deep gorges densely wooded. The 
only available building land is a narrow strip on the edge of the 
sea; and though, of course, the lower spurs of the hills may 
gradually be dotted with villas, there is no possibility of extending 
the town unless by expensive terracing — a game which would cer- 
tainly not be worth the candle, as saith the proverb. 

1 must say the little town greatly exceeds our expectations. 
We had imagined it was still the haunt of uproarious planters and 
white men of the lowest type, described by visitors a few years 
ago, instead of which we find a most orderly and respectable com- 
munity, of about 600 whites, inhabiting 180 wooden houses. We 
are told that the reformation in the sobriety of the town is partly 
due to the Good Templars, who here muster a very considerable 
brotherhood. Doubtless their work is greatly facilitated by the 
increased price of gin, which in former days flowed like water, at 
the modest price of one shilling a bottle, but has noAv risen to five 
times that sum. It used to be said that ships needed no chart to 
bring them to Fiji, for they would find the way marked by floating 
gin-bottles, increasing in numbers as they approached the group. 



42 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

Those were the days when men meeting at noonday to discnss 
grave matters of business found their deliberations assisted by a 
jug of raw gin, to be drunk in tumblers as other men would drink 
water ! Certainly if the multitude of broken bottles which strew 
the beach were any evidence of the amount of liquor consumed, 
we might imagine that the old drinking days were not yet wholly 
forgotten. 

The principal shops (or stores, as they are called) lie along the 
beach, and, without much outward show, are fully stocked with 
all things needful, which a European can buy at about one-third 
more than he would pay in England. . But by a singular phase of 
commercial morality, a native wishing to purchase the same article 
is invariably made to pay a very much higher price, and this is 
done quite openly, as a generally accepted condition of trade ! 
There are several respectable boarding-houses, and two or three 
hotels, where the planters find quarters when they come to this 
great metropolis. 

I am rather afraid you will not have a very dignified idea of our 
capital, when I confess that our great main street has only houses 
on one side, and the street itself is only a strip of rocky, muddy, 
or shingly sea-beach. Yarious attempts have been made to build 
up a low sea-wall, but this is invariably washed away by the next 
high tide. How the houses escape is a mystery. 

One thing that would strike you as peculiar would be to see a 
whole town without one chimney. There is a house which ap- 
parently has a couple, but these are only ventilators. You would 
also be impressed by our magnificent lighthouses — two wooden 
pyramids, which, seen at a certain angle to one another, mark the 
passage through the coral-reef. These are, I think, the only 
representatives of lighthouses in this most dangerous group. But 
at present the colony is too poor to build any, and Mother England 
is too stingy to allow us any. 

But whatever else is lacking, churches flourish. Besides the 
"Wesleyan native chapels, there are a large Wesleyan church for 
the white population, a Roman Catholic church, and an Episcopal 
one. We, of course, belong to the latter ; but at present our par- 
son, Mr Floyd, is in "New Zealand, so all the Governor's staff take 
it by turns to officiate, two in the morning and two in the evening. 
They appear in surplices, and take their part well. Last Sunday 
morning Mr Le Hunte read prayers, and Captain Havelock one of 
Robertson's sermons. Yesterday morning Captain Havelock read 
prayers, and Mr Maudslay preached a Kingsley. In the evening 



CHURCHES. 43 

Mr Eyre read, and Mr Le Hunte preached ; but I forget his sub- 
ject, for such a tremendous storm of rain came" down on the 
zinc roof that even his voice was drowned. After services we 
waited in vain for half an hour, and then waded home, fully a 
mile. Nurse and Mrs Abbey very sensibly left their dresses and 
bonnets in church ! 

Mr Floyd has one of Bishop Patteson's native clergy to assist 
him in a mission to the foreign labour, the Church of England 
most wisely judging it best to leave the Fijians Avholly in the 
care of the Wesleyans, whose mission here has been so marvellously 
successful. But the foreign labour does seem almost a hopeless 
field. They are brought here from a multitude of isles, all talking 
different languages, and only remain three years in the group, so 
that the very small numbers that can be reached, even of those 
who find situations in Levuka, can scarcely be expected to learn 
much before they have to be sent back to their own isles as " time- 
expired labour." Still, the little church does fill in the afternoons 
with a strangely motley congregation, and doubtless some seeds of 
good are carried back to the distant isles, which may bear fruit in 
due season. 1 

There is yet another congregation which I have forgotten to 
mention — namely, our fellow - passengers, the company of Royal 
Engineers, who, finding the little English church already crowded, 
hold service by themselves in a thatched shed on the shore, open 
all round to admit the sweet sea-breeze, and overshadowed by 
large dark trees. It makes a very cool chapel, and we often linger 
as we pass to listen to the pleasant English voices and hearty 
singing. 

As I mentioned to you before, no preparation had been made 
to receive the Engineers on their arrival here, so they had to find 
temporary quarters for themselves till they could decide where to 
place their barracks, and then build them. It was no easy matter 
to find healthy quarters for so large a body of men in such a place, 
and Colonel Pratt was at first somewhat perplexed. By great good 
fortune a large empty storehouse was found half - way between 
Kasova and the town, so there they are housed for the present, 
and make the best of very uncomfortable quarters. They do look 
so hot, poor fellows, going about in uniform, with small caps, under 

1 This little beginning promises to become an extensive movement, a visit from 
Bishop Selwyn having stirred up interest in the matter. I hear that the Chief 
Justice, and a considerable number of young men, now attend the afternoon meet- 
ing as teachers, with the happiest results, the immigrants fully appreciating the 
kindly feeling thus shown to them. 



44 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

just such a sun as that which makes men in India wear soiah topees 
and carry white umbrellas. Here (where the inhabitants take their 
ideas from Australia or J^ew Zealand) such precautions are con- 
sidered as unnecessary, as are all the luxuries which others, com- 
ing from India or kindred lands, would deem necessaries. The 
Engineers, however, have sun -helmets somewhere, but they are 
supposed to have gone on a little voyage by themselves to Mel- 
bourne, and are expected to arrive in the course of a few months ! 
Colonel Pratt had considerable difficulty in getting either cool 
clothes or mosquito-nets for his men. The authorities could not 
understand why he should require them ; and when he suggested 
that it was usual to supply such articles to troops on tropical 
service, the reply he received was — " Why, you don't mean to say 
that Fiji is in the tropics 1 " That it is so we are all very well 
aware, but I think this is the best tropical climate any of us have 
yet found ; there are few days when we have not a balmy breeze 
and soft grey clouds, and even the midsummer heat of December 
rarely shows a thermometer above 90°. I cannot find out that 
there is any especially rainy season, or any which is exempt from 
rain. Heavy thunderstorms are frequent at present, and I am told 
that about Christmas there is often much rain and an occasional 
hurricane. The latter, however, only happens once in several years ; 
so you need not be in any special alarm for the safety of your dearly 
beloved sister, C. F. G. C. 

In one respect we are greatly disappointed in this place — there 
are scarcely any flou-ers. This strikes us all the more, as we have 
come here direct from Australia, where we left the whole country 
literally aflame with blossom. You cannot fancy anything more 
lovely. And here in the tropics, where people always vainly 
imagine that flowers are so abundant, we have fewer than in any 
place I have yet been to. Scarcely any house has even a flower- 
bed round the windows ; and the very best garden in the place 
would, except for the beauty of its crotons and other shrubs, 
scarcely be dignified with the name in England ; and yet infinite 
care is expended on it, and a handful of roses or other blossoms of 
any sort is the greatest boon its owner can bestow on us. As to 
wild flowers, I have walked day after day till I was weary, without 
finding as many flowers as would fill a small vase. 

The ferns, however, are exceedingly lovely. Innumerable species 
grow in richest profusion in every damp ravine, and great tufts of 
birds'-nest and other ferns cling to the mossy boughs of the grey 






PLANTS. 45 

old trees. Every here and there you come on a rocky stream or 
shady pool round which they cluster in such luxuriance and variety, 
that it makes you long to transport the whole fairy-like dell to some 
place where all fern lovers might revel in its beauty. And this is 
only the undergrowth ; for the cool shade overhead is produced by 
the interwoven fronds of great tree-ferns — their exquisite crown of 
green supported by a slender stem from twenty to thirty feet high, 
up which twine delicate creepers of all sorts, which steal in and 
out among the great fronds, and so weave a canopy of exquisite 
beauty. Loveliest of all are the delicate climbing-ferns, the tender 
leaves of which — some richly fringed with seed — hang" mid-air on 
long hair-like trails, or else, drooping in festoons, climb from tree 
to tree, forming a perfect network of loveliness. It is a most fairy- 
like foliage, and the people show their reverence for its beauty by 
calling it the Wa Kolo, or God's fern. 

I ought to mention that though there are no flowers within reach, 
there are several flowering trees with unattainable, and, happily, not 
very tempting blossoms. They are all alike remarkable for having 
a most insignificant calyx, and being almost entirely composed of a 
great bunch of silky stamens which fall in showers on the ground 
below. The most attractive of these is the Jcaveeka, or Malay apple, 
which bears tufts of crimson blossom especially attractive to certain 
lovely scarlet and green parrots with purple heads, and which, in 
due season bears a very juicy though insipid crimson or white fruit. 
These parrots are few and far between ; and I miss the flocks of 
bright wings which so delighted me in my glimpse of Australian 
bush. — Good-bye once more. 

Sunday, 31st October* 

Dear Eisa, — The anxiously expected mail came in this morning 
and brought your welcome letter. ... I am still staying with 
Mrs Havelock, for the new rooms at Nasova progress slowly. It is 
very difficult to push on work in a country where malua (by-and- 
by) is the reigning principle in every action of life. But for my- 
self, individually, I am most cosy here, and we all meet continually. 
Lady Gordon has instituted weekly picnics just for our own party, 
chiefly to get the gentlemen away from their incessant writing. 

AVe have already had three of these, so we have seen a good 
deal of this isle of Ovalau, and very lovely it is. We always go 
by boat ; indeed there are no paths (except a footpath along the 
shore) where a sane man would venture to ride even if there were 
horses, which there are not. Only an enterprising butcher's boy 



46 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

ventures to clamber up day by day to bring needful supplies to 
such bouses as are perched on the steep hillsides. Captain Olive 
also has a horse ; and now Nasova owns a pony on which Abbey 
gallops into Levuka to forage for the house. The astonishment 
of the natives at first sight of a horse knew no bounds. They 
gathered round it, exclaiming, " Oh, the great pig ! " and one 
rashly approached to pull its tail, and was considerably startled 
by receiving a very severe kick. 

I suppose you know that one of the remarkable peculiarities of 
these isles is the strange lack of animal life. There were literally 
no indigenous four-footed creatures except rats and flying-foxes, 
and even the native rat has died out since foreign rats arrived 
from ships. Even the pigs, which in some places now run wild 
in the jungle, were originally introduced by the Tongans, who also 
brought cats, ducks, and fowls. As to other animals, such names 
as seepi (mutton), goti (goat), x> lLSS ^ (cat), ose (horse), collie l (dog), 
and bullama kow (beef), sufficiently betray their foreign origin. 
Eeally I do miss the troops of monkeys so familiar in India and 
Ceylon. 

Happily the list of Fijian reptiles is equally small, so that flies 
and mosquitoes are almost the only creatures we have to combat, 
and certainly they are an irritating plague. We know that centi- 
pedes and scorpions do exist, but they are very rare. I wish I 
could say as much for the cockroaches which infest every house, 
and are in their turn devoured by large spiders. I lay awake this 
morning watching the process. The unlucky cockroach contrived 
to get entangled in a strong web, and old Mr Spider darted out 
and tied him up securely, and then feasted at his leisure. Of 
course we carefully cherish these spider allies, and glory in webs 
which would greatly horrify your housemaids. The ants are also 
most energetic friends, and organise burial parties for the cock- 
roaches as fast as we can kill them. Every morning we see 
solemn funerals moving across the verandah to the garden, and 
these are parties of about one hundred of the tiniest ants dragging 
away the corpse of a large cockroach. 

Happily serpents are almost unknown, and the few that exist 
are not venomous. So we walk through densest underwood, 
among dead leaves and decaying timber, without fear of meeting 
anything more alarming than innocent lizards or an occasional 
land-crab. Of lizards I have seen a large green kind, and scores 
of a tiny blue and bronze, which flash like jewels in the sunlight. 
1 More probably derived from the same root as the Maori word kuri, dcg. 



TREE-NETTLES. 47 

Equally pleasant is the total absence of the countless species of 
thorny plants with which the whole jungle in Ceylon seemed to 
bristle. There I was for ever being torn and scratched by cruel 
thorns, and every shrub seemed armed with sharp needles — even 
the stems of certain kinds of palm-trees being covered with myriad 
little daggers and darning-needles two or three inches in length. 
Here the wild citron is the only thorny tree I have observed, and 
even that was not indigenous ; so the contrast is highly in favour 
of Fiji, especially in the absence of serpents and other venomous 
reptiles. But, on the other hand, Fiji has traps for the unwary 
quite peculiar to itself. The commonest of these is the tree-nettle, 
which really is a large forest-tree. Beautiful but treacherous are 
its large glossy leaves, veined with red or white, most attractive to 
the eye, but anguish to the touch ; — days will pass ere the pain of 
that burning sting subsides. However, forewarned is forearmed, 
and you are in no danger of accidentally touching these large 
showy trees, as you so often do the insignificant but obtrusive 
little nettle of our own woods. 

There are, however, several other trees which are so intensely 
poisonous that it is dangerous even to touch them accidentall}'-. 
One of these is the kaulcaro, or itch-plant, from which exudes a 
milky juice causing agony, especially if the tiniest drop should 
come, even near the eye. Instances have occurred when a man 
has ignorantly selected this wood, either as timber from which to 
fashion his canoe, or a spar suitable for his mast ; and incautiously 
sitting on the wood while 2arpentering, has discovered, when too 
late, that the subtle poison had entered by every pore, and that his 
whole body was rapidly breaking out in angry spots, causing an 
irritation utterly unbearable, and lasting for months, sometimes years. 

As regards the general foliage, it is almost identical with that of 
Ceylon, though perhaps scarcely so rich. This, however, varies 
much on the different isles, and Ovalau is more noted for cliffs 
than for rich foliage. We shall see that in glory when we go to 
Taviuni. Here the only palm-trees are cocoa-nuts very much 
battered with the wind ; and I miss the beautiful lattool and 
several other palms which I loved in Ceylon. But I recognise 
various old friends, especially the large croton-tree, with silvery 
leaves and tufts of white blossom. Here it is known as the 
candle-nut, and reigns as monarch over an immense family of 
crotons of every shade of eccentricity both of form and colour. 
But the most gorgeous varieties are imported from isles nearer 
the equator. 



48 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

There are several splendid trees "which are quite new to me, 
being peculiar to the South Seas. Such are the ivi l (pronounced 
eerie), or Tahitian chestnut, and the ndelo, 2 with large glossy leaves 
like the india-rubber tree. Both these are valuable as affording 
cool, deep shade. There is also the vutu? with its blossoms like 
tufts of silk fringe ; the tavolaf or native almond-tree ; and the 
ndawa, whose young leaves are bright crimson, and give a gleam 
of colour to the general expanse of green. Then there is the 
mbaka, which grows like the sacred banyan of India, beginning its 
life as a humble parasite, and in old age presenting an intricate 
network of white stems, pillars, and roots. It bears a very small leaf. 

The commonest scrub-foliage is a hybiscus, with bluish-grey leaf, 
and pale primrose-coloured blossom, with a dark claret heart : it is 
a pretty flower on the tree, but dies when gathered. The inner 
bark yields a fibre which is greatly valued by the natives, and 
which they split and die yellow, red, or black, and make fringe 
kilts, to be worn either as sole raiment or over the sulu. It is also 
used by the fisher-folk for making their nets, especially the turtle- 
nets ; but several other fibres are used for this purpose. 

On this island there really is no level ground at all ; and you 
would marvel where the people contrive to raise their crops, for the 
steep hills rise from the sea-beach. But if you were to follow the 
course of the picturesque streamlets which find their way down 
dark-wooded ravines, you would find that every available corner is 
laid out in. tiny terraced fields, or rather miniature swamps, in 
which are cultivated the yams, taros, and kumalas (sweet potatoes), 
which are the staple of native food. In taste they somewhat 
resemble coarse potatoes, especially the yams, which sometimes 
attain a gigantic size — from one to ten feet in length- — and are said 
sometimes to weigh 100 lb. In some districts there are two yam 
crops in a year. 

The taro is of a bluish-grey colour, and both in appearance and 
consistency resembles mottled soap. Still I rather like it. Its 
leaves are like those of our own arum on a large scale (it is of the 
same family, Arum esculentum). One kind grows to a gigantic 
size, and its huge rich green leaves stand six or seven feet above 
their watery bed You may often see a few plants of this giant 
arum close to the door of a house, and very ornamental they are 
but the object for which they were placed there is to ward cff the 
entrance of death or devils ! 

i Ivi — Inocarpus edulis. a Ndelo — Calophyllum-inophyllura. 

8 Vulu — Barringtonia. * Tavola — Terminalia. 



PLANTS. 49 

The leaves of the yam are like those of a convolvulus, as is also 
its habit of growth, each plant being trained along a tall reed. 
There are a great many different kinds, including one the root of 
which is throughout of a vivid mauve. 

There are also tiny banana-gardens in every little crevice of the 
rock, and their great glossy leaves look cool and pleasant. There 
are about thirty varieties grown on these isles, and some bear 
immense pendent bunches with from one to two hundred fruits on 
each. The young inner leaf, which has not unrolled itself, is like 
the finest silk, and when warmed over the fire becomes quite water- 
proof, and is used as such. It is also used to tie up little bundles 
of sweet, oily pudding, in which the people delight. Do you 
realise that a banana or plantain leaf is from three to four 
feet long, and from ten to fifteen inches wide 1 Sometimes the 
girls carry them as parasols, and a very attractive picture they 
make. 

There is one fruit-bearing plant here which is just like a natural 
umbrella — namely, the papaw, which carries a handsome crown of 
deeply indented leaves on a tall curiously diapered stem, round 
which hangs a cluster of green and golden fruit, useful when unripe 
as a vegetable, and when ripe as a fruit. I am told that the leaves 
have the valuable quality of making tough meat tender if it is 
wrapped up or cooked in them ; and also that they are useful in 
washing, being saponaceous, so that if soaked with dirty clothes 
they save a considerable amount of soap. 

Another plant, which to you is familiar as ornamental greenhouse 
foliage, is the dracsena (or ti-tree, as- it is called in the colonies), 
which here is grown for the sake of its root, which is so large 
as sometimes to weigh 40 lb., and which answers the purpose of 
sugar. It is baked and used for puddings. It tastes like liquorice. 
The crown of long glossy leaves is useful as fodder where cattle 
exist ; but here it is the equivalent of so many yards of green silk, 
and supplies some pretty damsel with a decent petticoat. 

The crimson dracaena is sacred to the dead, and is constantly 
planted on the graves, and very beautiful is the effect thus pro- 
duced ; while overhead droops the mournful dull green of the noko- 
noko, or casurina-tree, which I can only describe as somewhat re- 
sembling the Weymouth pine, and which seems to sigh with every 
faint breath of wind that stirs its pendent foliage. 

Here and there a small plantation of paper mulberry [Brcus- 
so?ietia), the bark of which supplies material for native cloth, or a 
patch of arrowroot, or perhaps a few tall sugar-canes or tufts of 

D 



50 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

Indian corn, complete the common produce of the native gardens, 
and combine to produce an effect of rich and varied foliage. 

But I must tell you about our picnics. As I before said, they 
are always water-parties; so we muster several boats and canoes, 
and start as early as we possibly can to try and profit by the 
delicious cool of the morning. Our first expedition was to the 
neighbouring isle of Moturiki, which is Thakombau's own private 
property, specially reserved from Europeans, so the people see few 
white faces. There was, however, no staring or mobbing, and we 
set them down as a very polite race. The moment we landed they 
brought us fresh cocoa-nuts to drink, and took us to a large native 
house with wide heavy thatch, — and very grateful was its cool 
shade after several hours in the glaring sun. Fine mats were 
spread for us at one end of the house, which is slightly raised for 
use of " the quality " — an especially fine one, of a peculiar make 
called tarnbu Jcaisi (forbidden to commoners), being placed for the 
white chief ; and on this, custom demands that he should sit alone, 
as it would be contrary to all native manners that even a chief's 
wife should sit on his mat. Not that wives or women-folk are 
looked upon in Fiji as inferior animals : quite the contrary ; their 
position is very good, and their influence acknowledged. 

Sir Arthur considers that a punctilious observance of the princi- 
pal points in native etiquette is a means to secure respect and gain 
influence with the people who now hail him as their highest chief, 
so, amongst other ceremonies that have to be observed, is the in- 
variable brewing of yangona (which you have heard spoken of in 
other groups as the kava). This, from a purely artistic point of 
view, is a very attractive scene, so I will describe it to you minutely. 
Picture to yourself the deep shade of the house, its brown smoke- 
thatched rafters and dark thatch-roof, with a film of blue smoke 
rising from the fireplace at the far end, which is simply a square in 
the floor edged with stones, round which, on mats, lie the boatmen, 
and a group of natives with flowers coquettishly stuck in their 
hair, and very slight drapery of native cloth, and fringes of bright 
croton - leaves. A great wooden bowl, with four legs, is then 
brought in. It is beautifully polished from long use, and has a 
purple bloom like that on a grape. A rope is fastened to it, and 
the end of this is thrown towards the chief. The yangona-root is 
then brought in, scraped and cleaned, cut up into small pieces, and 
distributed to a select circle of young men to chew. The operation 
is not quite so nasty as might be supposed, as they repeatedly rinse 
their mouths with fresh water during the process, which occupies 



BREWING YANGONA. 51 

some time; while all the company sit round most solemnly, and 
some sing quaint inekes {i.e., choruses), very wild and characteristic. 
They are so old that many of them are incomprehensible even to 
the singers, who merely repeat the words in an unknown tongue, 
as they learnt them from their parents. 

"When the chewing process is complete, each man produces a 
lump of finely chewed white hbre. This is then deposited in a 
lar^e wooden bowl, and one of the number is told off to nour water 
on the yangona, and wring it out through a piece of kybiscus fibre, 
which is like a piece of fine netting. A turbid yellowish fluid is 
thus produced, in taste resembling rhubarb and magnesia, flavoured 
with sal-volatile. It is handed round in cups made of the shell of 
large cocoa-nuts, the chief being the first to drink, while all the 
onlookers join in a very peculiar measured hand- clapping. When 
he is finished, they shout some exclamation in chorus, and clap 
hands in a different manner. Then all the others drink in regular 
order of precedence. 

Though no one pretends to like the taste of yangona, its after- 
effects are said to be so pleasantly stimulating that a considerable 
number of white men drink it habitually, and even insist on having 
it prepared by chewing, which is a custom imported from Tonga, 
and one which has never been adopted in the interior of Fiji, where 
the old manner of grating the root is preferred. It certainly sounds 
less nasty, but connoisseurs declare with one voice that grated yan- 
gona is not comparable to that which has been chewed ! x The 
gentlemen all say that, sometimes when they have had a very long 
day of hard walking, they are thankful to the native who brings 
them this, the only stimulant which he has to offer, and that its 
effect is like sal-volatile. Confirmed drinkers acquire a craving for 
it. Its action is peculiar, inasmuch as drunkenness from this cause 
does not affect the brain, but paralyses the muscles, so that a man 
lies helpless on the ground, perfectly aware of all that is going on. 
This is a condition not unknown to the British sailor in Fiji. 

This was the first time we had witnessed the scene, so of course 
we were exceedingly interested. Afterwards I had a long walk 
through the bush with Sir Arthur, Mr Maudslay, and Mr Le 
Hunte, Lady Gordon and Mrs Havelock preferring to rest. "We 

1 This statement was repeated so often, that at last Dr Macgregor, curious to 
discover a cause for so strange a fact, took the trouble to weigh six ounces of the 
root, which he gave to be chewed in the usual manner. When deposited in the 
bowl he weighed it again, and found it had increased to seventeen ounces ! The 
inference is obvious, and needs no comment. After this discovery the drinking of 
yangona {Piper nuthisticum) fell greatly out of favour with the gentlemen of our 
party, and was principally reserved for ceremonial occasions. 



52 AT HOME IK FIJI. 

had a grand scramble through rich vegetation, and we rested awhile 
in a quiet old graveyard partly overgrown with tall grasses, the 
graves all edged with the black stems of the tree-fern; and on 
many there is a low, red-leafed plant ; on others, the tall red 
dracama, with which the Fijians love to adorn the resting-place of 
their dead, as cypress or willow mark God's acre in Old England. 
From this calm spot we overlooked the blue Pacific, dotted with 
many isles, chief of which is the clear-cut mountain outline of Yiti 
Levu, the great isle, which I hope to visit ere long. How beauti- 
ful they all looked in the golden sunset light, as we rowed and 
sailed back to Xasova ! 

Our next picnic was to the romantic Levoni valley at the back 
of this island. We sailed past Moturiki and two smaller isles, and 
then rowed two miles up a cool pleasant river with deep green shade 
till Ave reached a landing-place, whence we walked a short distance 
to the clean, tidy little native town of Baretta. Mr Maudslay and 
Baron von Hiigel walked all the way across the mountains, a tough 
day's work. I walked up the valley with Sir Arthur and Colonel 
Pratt, but stopped half-way to sketch the splendid tree-ferns. We 
hurried back, intending to start at four o'clock to catch the tide, 
but found all the children of both the Roman Catholic and Wes- 
leyan schools assembled in separate flocks. They looked very nice 
with their pretty necklaces and fringes of flowers and bright leaves 
worn over the little kilt of native cloth, and across the chest. Each 
party performed a small meke, and did a little reading and writing, 
although Captain Knollys, as admiral of our fleet, deemed the delay 
highly imprudent, for the tide was falling fast. As it was, we had 
to walk some distance through mangrove-swamp and tall reeds, and 
it was 6 p.m. (the invariable hour of sunset) ere we embarked. So 
we had to row home in the dark, in danger from many coral 
patches, but reached Xasova safely at 9 p.m., the children pretty 
well tired out. 

Last Tuesday our picnic was at a pretty sandy bay, shaded by 
large trees, seven miles along the coast in the opposite direction; 
but Sir Arthur and Mr Gordon were both unwell, and could not 
come, and Sir William Hackett also failed. On our way back we 
landed at Waitova, where the native police have their headquarters 
— a pretty, shady place, with a pleasant stream, the upper pools of 
which were Commodore Goodenough's favourite bathing-place. 

Captain Olive lives there with his men, in a regular native house, 
and sleeps on a pile of about twenty fine Fijian mats. He has no 
chair, and no furniture. His glass and crockery at present consist 



FIJIAN SPORTS. 53 

of one cup and one tumbler. He feeds native-fashion, having his 
food brought to him on plaited trays and banana-leaves, the only- 
remarkable object in the house being a large yangona-bowL We 
went down to spend an afternoon there one day, and he fed us 
with sweet native puddings and pine-apples. 

When we landed there on Tuesday there was a large gathering 
of Fijians, playing at throwing spears, and a game called tinqua — 
which consists in throwing reeds, with oval wooden heads, called 
toa, that skim along the ground for 100 or 150 yards— and other 
sports. They were all adorned with the usual festal garlands and 
green leaves; their faces painted, some of a rich black, which is 
truly hideous, though I do not consider scarlet or blue to be much 
better. One man was painted all over spots like a leopard ; some 
wore white cloth sulus as full as an opera-dancer's skirt; others 
wore little but the fringe of long black water-weed, with a great 
bunch of white tappa, en panier. The Vuni Valu's daughter, Andi 
Arietta Kuilla (Lady Harriet Flag), was looking on. She is a huge, 
good-natured-looking woman ; *very clever, I am told. 

There was quite a stir in Levuka last Monday in honour of Miss 
Cudlip's marriage to Mr Tucker. The bride's family being very 
popular in the isles, a large number of the planters came to it, and 
they had a merry dance. The young couple started for their home 
on the big isle, three days' journey in an open boat, hoping, if wind 
and tide prove favourable, to be able to touch at a friend's house 
each night. No nice yacht-cabins here. I wonder how you would 
like such a life ! 

Now little Eachel has come to carry me off to tea, so I must say 
good-bye. — Ever lovingly yours. 



CHAPTER YL 

FIJIAN SPELLING THE FUTURE CAPITAL A PLANTER'S LIFE 

FOREIGN LABOUR QUAINT POSTAGE-STAMPS. 

Levuka, November 1, 1S75. 

My dear George, — "We are settling down into the quietest of 
lives, and I have no special news to give you ; but the day is so 
lovely that T could not stay in the house, so I wandered up the hill 



54 AT HOME W FIJI. 

to a huge boulder of grey rock, fringed with the loveliest ferns, on 
which I am now sitting, looking across the bluest of seas to the great 
isle of Yiti Levu, whose mountains lie dreamily on the horizon. I 
must tell you that Yiti Levu simply means Great Yiti, which is 
the name by which these islands are always called by their own 
inhabitants, the name of Fiji, which we have adopted, being siniplj 
the Tongan mispronunciation of the word. If you look at a map 
of the group, you will see that this isle of Ovalau, though important 
by reason of its being the site of Levuka, the white men's capital, 
is only a small isle lying off Yiti Levu, as does also the tiny isle 
of Bau, on which is King Thakombau's own particular capital. 

Owing to the peculiarity of orthodox Fijian spelling, you must 
pronounce an m before the b — so that town is called MBau. 
Moreover, the sound of th is represented by the letter c, so that 
I ought to spell Thakombau, Cacobau ; and Tholo, which is moun- 
tain, should be Colo. Moreover, you must always sound the letter 
n before d, g, and q. Now, isn't this puzzling 1 I think you will 
admit the wisdom of my spelling Fijian words and names as you 
are expected to pronounce them. Certainly you could hardly be 
expected to understand .the delicate compliment conveyed to Sir 
Arthur in the name of a new town which is called after him, Koro- 
i-aco, aco being the equivalent of Arthur. 

Speaking of new towns, one of the principal topics of conversa- 
tion here is the probability of the site of the capital' being changed 
ere long, as Levuka is manifestly unsuited to develop into a town 
of such importance as it is hoped the capital of this new colony will 
ere long become. The first whites were thankful to settle here, 
because of being so near to Bau, and to friendly chiefs, and so it 
answered their purpose very well ; but it is a place where there is 
no room for extension, and what land there is, is all in private 
hands; and the 180 houses, such as they are, look as if they had 
been accidentally dropped all over the small available space. They 
are all temporary buildings, either reed houses with thatched roofs, 
or wooden houses roofed with shingles or corrugated zinc, — most 
of them are just poor little cottages. The best wooden house will 
not stand this climate for more than eight or ten years, and then 
involves ceaseless repairs, so everything about the place looks poor 
and " disjaskit," as the old wives in Scotland would say. 

Then the situation is in every respect bad. There is no stone 
suitable for building. The high hills of Ovalau attract the rain, 
and the temperature is higher than on other isles, never lower than 
70°, and rising to 90°. The town faces the east, so that from early 



THE FUTURE CAPITAL. 55 

dawn the full heat of the sun beats on the hard cliffs of dark con- 
glomerate rocks, which rise abruptly close round the little strip of 
land — in all not thirty acres — on which Leruka is built, and Which 
is only from live to eight feet above the ordinary high-water mark. 
A considerable portion of this is devoted to swampy taro-Helds ; 
and drainage on any system is impossible, because a drain would 
simply find the water-level. Xaturally, the place is not very 
healthy, and various other sites are proposed. Each of these is 
said to have a multitude of advantages, all of which will have 
to be officially reported upon. 

Xandi is recommended as having an admirable climate, several 
fine rivers, good stone for building, and as being a good riding 
country, and suitable for rearing cattle. But the chances seem in 
favour of Suva on Yiti Levu, which also has good building stone, 
and a thermometer down to 72° occasionally. It is said to be the 
best harbour of refuge and port of call in the group, with abundant 
good anchorage for many vessels, and invariably smooth water — a 
place where hurricane waves are unknown, and which is a central 
position, and therefore suitable for all purposes. We are going to 
see this paradise before long, so you will hear all about it. 

Meanwhile the chance of any change is naturally most distaste- 
ful to the people who have settled here, for poor as the houses are, 
still they are homes, and any move would involve expenses which 
few could possibly afford. I had no conception till I came here 
that any whole community could be so poor. Before we arrived 
we heard much about the iniquities of the white population, and I 
have no doubt that there were many who were originally attracted 
here by the freedom from all restraint of any civilised government, 
and to whom the anarchy of the law was anything but a drawback. 
But those days are now a tale of the past, and what we do find are 
apparently good, well-intentioned people, struggling to keep up a 
respectable appearance, but utterly crushed by poverty. Many 
have battled for years in exile, enduring sore hardship and priva- 
tion of every sort. 

Xothing can well be imagined harder than the present position 
of the planting community in these isles. Many of them, gentle- 
men by birth and education, came here long years ago and sank 
what money they possessed in purchase of land and the necessary 
outlay thereon. Or, still oftener, they started with the terrible 
drawback of having to borrow money at high interest — a yoke 
which, once assumed, could rarely be shaken off. Then followed 
long, lonely years of hard toil, too often resulting only in bitter 



56 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

disappointment from failing crops or devastating hurricanes, which 
in a few hours swept away the fruits of months of tolL Even when 
these disasters have not occurred, low prices and enormous expenses 
of freight to the colonies, as they call Australia or New Zealand, of 
storage there, and finally of transit to England, have reduced profits 
to a mere cipher. And thus it is that, utterly ruined and over- 
whelmed with debt, with health shattered by privation, and lack 
of what we deem positive necessaries of life, a very large proportion 
of the planters are left stranded, — literally without the means to 
get away, helpless, and wellnigh hopeless, — living just like the 
natives, on yams and wild pig, knowing no greater luxury than a 
bowl of yangona, and unable from sheer poverty to obtain the com- 
monest comforts of civilised life. There are many houses in which 
beef and mutton, rice, barley, or flour, wine or spirits, even tea or 
coffee and sugar, are wellnigh forgotten luxuries. 

I am told that on the occasion of Sir Arthur's arrival, when 
about two hundred of these gentlemen assembled at Levuka to 
meet him, many were compelled to absent themselves from sheer 
inability to face such small expenses as were involved by the 
journey and hotel, quarters. Others could only meet it by bringing 
with them supplies of poultry and vegetables for sale in Levuka. 
Many are unable, from sheer poverty, to hire a sufficient number 
of labourers to work the estates, which at present they cannot sell, 
— all land-titles being so insecure, that until they have been for- 
mally examined and acknowledged by the British Government 
(Lands Commission), no^ capitalist would dream of investing in 
what might prove so worthless a speculation ; and though the \\ 
Lands Commission are doing their utmost to push on their work, 
it is a slow and difficult task, involving endless patient inquiry, 
and weighing of conflicting evidence. 

So, at the present moment, these people actually are worse off 
than they were before annexation — a sad discovery for men who 
had looked on that event as a magic spell which would at once 
disentangle this disordered skein. And they are now more down- 
hearted that ever. 

Once their land-titles are proved, and they can sell their estates 
to new-comers with full purses and fresh energy, times will doubt- 
less improve, and it will be shown what these isles are really worth. 
As yet the golden age cannot be said to have dawned, and the 
resources of the country are still unknown. The cotton trade, 
which for a while was so flourishing, has for the present utterly 
failed, the silky sort grown here having lost favour with manu- 



LABOUR. 57 

facttirers. Coffee, sugar, and tobacco are all undeveloped. At 
present the principal articles of trade in the isles are a preparation 
of dried cocoa-nut known as coppra, from which oil is afterwards 
extracted, and the 13cches-de-nier, a species of hideous, large, black 
sea-slug, which, when dried, resemble lumps of india-rubber, and 
from which the Chinese make a rich soup, said to be equal in 
flavour to that produced from the far-famed gelatinous birds' nests. 
This, and the pearly shell of a huge oyster, being natural products, 
afford occupation to many who have failed in more settled work. 
Consequently a large proportion of the white men who find life in 
Fiji so hard a struggle, are more or less directly engaged in the 
Eeches-de-mer and pearl-shell fisheries ; and there are not wanting 
croakers who foresee a time when this supply will be exhausted. 

I believe the only new settlers since annexation are two China- 
men (as usual, always enterprising and cheerful in face of difficulties, 
and making money where no one else can do so). They have just 
rented ten acres of land here to start a vegetable garden, so we 
foresee an abundant supply for the town, and wealth for the deserv- 
ing gardeners. Strange that no European should have thought of 
trying this. I do not, however, think that it could ever answer 
for poor working men to come here — certainly not as simple 
workers — for, of course, no one would dream of paying wages at 
European, or still less at colonial, rates, when he can get black 
labour for so little. 

The sum at which "foreign labour" is usually to be had is 
about £10 for passage-money, and £9 for three years' work. This 
is generally paid in the form of goods to be taken home to the 
distant isles, and is one of the points found to require special 
Government inspection, the quantity and quality of g'oods supplied 
to the unsophisticated natives by sundry traders (on receipt of a 
planter's order for £9 worth of stuff per head) being by no means 
calculated to give the onlookers a high view of white men's com- 
mercial morality. The importation of foreign labour is now en- 
tirely in the hands of a Government immigration agent, to whom 
the owners and captains of all vessels employed in the labour trade 
are responsible for strict observance of sanitary and other rules, and 
through whom every master must engage his men and make all 
payments, and to whom he must return them at the date when 
their engagement expires, that they may be restored to their own 
homes at the time agreed on. Of course during the term of 
service the employer supplies food and tobacco, lodging (such as it 
is, in most cases), medicine, and a very small amount of raiment. 



58 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

But the hideous stories of kidnapping and brutal ill-treatment on 
board ship, or even on plantations, are now happily tales of the 
past. 

The supply of labourers is one of the vexed questions of the 
present, as each year the labour vessels bring back a smaller 
number of volunteers from the other groups ; and the employment 
of Fijians on the plantations of white men is in no way encouraged 
by Government, which recognises as its first duty the care and 
preservation of these, the true owners of the soil, by whose own 
invitation, and for whose welfare primarily, England here rules. 
Considering how invariably dark races have been found to die 
out before the advance of the white races, the problem of whether 
this evil cannot be averted in the present instance is one of 
the deepest interest. It is therefore considered of the utmost im- 
portance that the natives should remain in their own villages, 
subject to their own chiefs, and cultivating their own lands, 
both for their own benefit and to enable them to contribute 
their just proportion of the Government taxes, which it has been 
found desirable to collect in produce from gardens specially cul- 
tivated for this purpose by each village. IsTow that the number of 
the people has been so appallingly reduced by measles, it is the 
more desirable that those that survive should not be encouraged 
to leave their homes. Consequently a comparatively small number 
of Fijians are in the service of white men, who, as a rule, are not 
anxious to secure the labour of men from neighbouring villages, 
but endeavour to engage those from other isles, who thus are 
virtually as much strangers in a strange land are as the labourers 
imported from other groups. It is said that only under these cir- jl 
cumstances are Fijians found willing to work diligently on the 
plantations — no great wonder, considering how easily they can 
supply their own simple needs in their own homes. 

It is probable that arrangements will shortly be made for import- 
ing a large supply of Hindoo coolies from Calcutta, a measure which 
does not at present meet with cordial welcome, as of course the cost 
of transporting them to and fro will add materially to the expenses 
of the planters who engage them. 

Meanwhile, on all large plantations there are representatives of 
half the Polynesian Isles, each lot living somewhat apart from the 
others, in separate quarters, and all having distinctive character- 
istics to be dealt with and considered, their dispositions being as 
diverse as are their features and complexions. There are Tanna 
men, with long hair done in a multitude of tiny plaits ; straight 



LABOUR. 59 

haired Tokalaus from the Line Islands, with sallow skin and large 
dark eyes ; woolly heads and grizzly heads of every variety from 
the Banks Islands and the Loyalty group, or Erromango. 

The men most sought after as really hard workers come from 
Tanna, in the Xew Hebrides ; while some of their nearest neigh- 
bours in the same group prove utterly useless. But the least 
popular come from the Solomon Isles, these being literally untam- 
able, preserving the instincts of their race, who are all ferocious 
cannibals and treacherous to a degree. Some even come from 
Santa Cruz, that name of bitter association, which, twice over — 
first in 1871, and again last August — has thrilled all the world 
with horror, when two of the noblest men who ever sailed the 
southern seas, striving so lovingly to do good everywhere, fell 
victims to the treacherous arrows of the people they would fain 
have helped. Of course you know I allude to Bishop Patteson 
and Commodore Goodenough — names worthy for evermore to be 
enshrined side by side among the foremost of Christian martyrs. 

Just imagine what cheerful work it must be for a planter be- 
ginning life in Fiji to watch for the arrival of a vessel freighted 
with foreign labour, the wildest-looking creatures you can possibly 
conceive ; and then, having engaged a number of these for three 
years, to start for some remote estate on a distant isle, accompanied 
by a horde of utterly untutored savages from a dozen different 
groups, all having different customs and different languages, alike 
only in their total ignorance of the work required of them, and 
requiring to be taught everything from the very beginning. Picture 
to yourself having these for your only companions, and knowing 
that they are certain to leave you at the expiration of their three 
years' service, just when you have, by dint of unwearied patience 
and trouble, succeeded in training them in some measure. 

There would be some compensation in such dismal work if it 
were to result in coining gold, and so securing a speedy return to 
England, or even the chance of making a really comfortable home 
out here; but the road to wealth in Eiji seems to be like the 
approach to heaven, strait and narrow, and few there be that 
find it. 

So you see that the prospect is not altogether inviting ; and as 
regards the present state of the Isles, .1 should certainly not advise 
any one to come here at present to settle unless he has a good 
lump of money to invest in land — say, at least, £2000 — and plenty 
capital to work it. The place is frightfully expensive, and for any 
one dependent on his pay is simply ruinous. All Government 



60 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

employes have very low salaries, and find it almost impossible to 
live ; and yet every post is eagerly sought by dozens of white men, 
craving a morsel of bread. 

Of course it is all very delightful for me who have nothing to 
think about, but just what enjoyment can be got out of the beauti- 
ful surroundings, with heaps of pleasant companions, and everythin 
to make life agreeable, including blessed good health, which, I am 
thankful to say, is my invariable portion. I wish I could say as 
much for all the others, most of whom have hacl some twinges of 
illness ; and all have had sore feet, arising, I fancy, from scratching 
mosquito-bites, which, in this moist climate, frequently results in 
very painful sores. So most of the party take it by turns to be 
lame. Mr Gordon suffers horribly from neuralgia, which is much 
encouraged by the mode of building here, the walls being merely 
made of reeds, through which the draughts blow freely ; and though 
the air that "thus comes in is generally celestial, sometimes a storm 
blows up before morning, and a cold, wet, rainy wind blows in. 
Last night we were all awakened by a noise like thunder on the 
roof, which is of zinc, as with all foreign houses here. It was 
mad rain-storm beating right in at the open jalousies. Some people 
were fairly flooded out. To-day the weather is clear and lovely. 

I am still living with the Havelocks, who are kindness itself, and 
make me heartily welcome to a corner of their sweet little cottage 
■ — the nicest situation here. I am most fortunate to be with them, 
as Xasova (Government House) is still in a horrible mess, full of 
builders, carpenters, noise — no rest for any one anywhere — besides 
being much too low for the breeze — actually on the sea-level. ] 
am going off soon to visit another island, JSananu, the property of 
Mr Leefe's brother. Mrs L. most kindly wrote to invite me, and 
to Say her husband would come in his boat to fetch me. One of 
the drawbacks to these expeditions is, that you may be becalmed 
and kept out at sea in a tiny schooner for several days, — which 
might be awkward, to say the least of it. 

We have had alarming rumours of the unsettled state of the dis- 
affected tribes on the Great Island, but later reports make us be- 
lieve them to have been greatly exaggerated. Sir Arthur intend: 
going there in person, without even a body-guard — only sending a 
small body of native police -beforehand. Xow it is growing dark 
for it is past six o'clock, at which hour the sun sets all the year 
round. "We regret the long summer evenings, especially when re- 
turning from any distant expedition. However, we shall have the 
gain of no short days in winter. iSTow I must climb down from 



A CANOE ADVENTURE. 61 

my rocky perch and get home while I can see my way, so good- 
bye. — Ever yours, C. F. G. C. 

Among other peculiarities of this small colony, our postage- 
stamps would amuse you. They were struck by the Government 
which crowned Thakombau king, and bear his initials, C. E. (Caco- 
bau Eex). In the present necessity for rigid economy no new 
stamps are issued, but the letters V.R. partially obliterate the C.R, 
or rather, blend with them. Another curiosity is the bank-note of 
the late Government, which wisely eschews any binding " promise 
to pay," and merely states that " the bearer is entitled to. receive " 
his due, with the sous entendu, " Don't he wish he may get it ! " 
The suggestion may prove useful nearer home ! 



CHAPTER VIL 

A CANOE ADVENTURE— SHARKS — FEVER— THE FEAST OF WORMS— RESULTS 
OF MISSION WORK — NO MEANS OF LOCOMOTION — GOD'S ACRE. 

Levuka, November 16, 1S75. 

The happiest of happy birthdays to you, my dear Nell. I sup- 
pose you are not even awake yet, for you know our time is twelve 
hours ahead of yours. I wish I could look in on you all and have 
a long, long talk. Certainly it is a weary expanse of sea that 
separates us at present. I was within an ace of bringing my 
journeys to an end last Saturday; and as I don't have many 
adventures to relate, I may as well tell you about it. 

We were going off for one of the Governor's pleasant little 
picnics along the coast, but somehow one of the boats was not 
forthcoming, so, as I had always been anxious to go in a native 
canoe, it was agreed that I should go with Mr Gordon, Mr 
Maudslay, and Captain Havelock, and four Fijians, in the canoe 
which carried the luncheon. A canoe is built on the principle of 
having an outrigger alongside to balance her. When the big mat- 
sail is up, she runs like the wind; but, of course, every small 
ripple that breaks over the bow pours into her hold, so that a man 
has to stand astern bailing incessantly, which he generally does by 
kicking out the water with his foot. Some of the large canoes 



62 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

belonging to the chiefs are quite beautiful; but, as luck would 
have it, the luncheon-boat on this occasion was a very bad one, 
and unusually small, so that really Ave perhaps overweighted her. 
However, what happened was, that, as we were running full speed, 
a strong puff of wind caught us, twisted the sail, and ran her head 
under water. Of course she immediately filled, and apparently 
about thirty seconds might elapse before we foundered. The 
gentlemen instinctively tightened their girths to be ready for a swim, 
when happily the presence of mind of the Fijians in jumping over- 
board, and the sudden righting of the sail, changed the state of 
affairs, and after a deal of hard bailing our position became some- 
what more satisfactory. The men rigged up a humble little sail, 
with which we sped onward at a much less exciting, but, under 
the circumstances, a good deal surer rate, and reached our destin- 
ation in capital time for luncheon. 

Our halt this time was under one specially grand old tree close 
to the shore (white sand and large trees are both sufficiently rare 
to make them noteworthy on this isle of Ovalau). Of course, in 
coming home, room was made for me in the big boat, and the 
gentlemen agreed to walk home — rather a stretch for Mr Gordon, 
who, as I told you in my last, has had a very sharp attack of fever 
and neuralgia, and was still rather low when we came out. How- 
ever, he seemed quite brightened up by the day's exertions, and has 
now gone off with Mr Carew to the very wildest mountain district 
in all Fiji, where the cannibal and disaffected tribes live. Baron 
A. von Hiigel went there some time ago to study the natives in 
their wild state, and try to buy some good specimens of their work. 
Of course these districts are the place of all others to collect curi- 
osities. I don't mean that this is Mr Gordon's reason for going 
there. Sir Arthur is going very soon, and it is well to make 
straight his path. 

As concerns the boat incident, you may make your mind quite 
easy about its not happening again ; for all the gentlemen are 
naturally in mortal fear of swimming in a sea swarming with 
sharks, and they'll take good care not to incur such a double risk 
as having to look after me at the same time ! 1 

1 That such fears would not be groundless, you may readily infer from the follow- 
ing horrible story reported Inst year in the ■ Levuka Times' : " News reaches us 
from windward of a sad accident which has resulted in the death of upwards of 
twenty people. It appears that a canoe left Lonia Lonia with twenty-five natives 
on hoard, hound for Totoya. They were going about when a sudden squall sent 
the sail against the mast, capsizing the canoe. The unfortunate passengers clung 
to the cama, and might have escaped with consequences no worse than those which 
would have attended discomfort and exposure, but for the horrible fact that the 



HOME-LINKS. 6 3 

Since I last wrote to you there has been a good deal of sickness 
going about of an unusual description ; its principal feature being, 
that while your pulse continues quite steady, your temperature runs 
up to any extent, and you feel good for nothing. I've had a sharp 
touch of it myself, enough to pull me up for boasting about never 
being ill. I was laid up for a fortnight, which you can imagine 
rather astonished me. Really it was worth a little touch of illness 
to see how dear and kind every member of the Fijian family could 
be. You yourself could not have taken more care of me than did 
Mrs Havelock; and Lady Gordon, to whom walking is such an 
exertion in this hot climate, came toiling up the hill every day to 
see me, and sent me the strongest brown soups and port-wine to 
take at short intervals. Knowing how unattainable such luxuries 
are to most people on these isles, I marvel how they contrive to 
shake off similar attacks. Dr Macgregor, too, has proved himself 
a most kind friend and skilful doctor. He is such a good fellow. 
He and his wife both hail from Aberdeen, then went to Mauritius, 
whence Sir Arthur persuaded them to come here. To them, as 
also to Colonel Pratt, the ' Inverness Couriers* afford unfailing 
inter st. 

I find another centre of north-country sympathy in Mrs Have- 
lock's nurse, a cosy woman who has taken great care of me during 
my illness. She lived in Scotland for many years, till her hus- 
band's regiment was ordered to Seychelles, where Captain Have- 
lock was then acting Governor. She has a vivid recollection of 
Roualeyn ; so has the carpenter who comes to work here. But so 
it is wherever I find Scotchmen. As to Dr Macgregor, he has 
known his book * by heart since he was ten years old ! Now I 
really have nothing more to tell you. We are near midsummer, 
and have cold blustering winds and sharp showers. A fine day is 
quite exceptional. Good-bye. Love to each and all. 



Monday, November 22, 1875. 

Dearest Bessie, — I suppose Nell told you about my having 
an attack of fever. I'm all right again now, though not very 
strong yet. While I remember, I want you to tell the boys about 

capsize occurred in a locality infested with sharks These ravenous monsters seized 
their victims one by one, devouring twenty-three out of the twenty-five unfortu- 
nates whose lives were thus placed at their mercy. Of the two who escape-1. one 
is a woman ; but her situation is very critical, the whole of the flesh having been 
taken off one leg. The matter is altogether too dreadful to admit of comment." 
1 A Hunter's Life in South Africa. By Roualeyn Gordon Cumming. 



64 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

an extraordinary fact in natural history, which is, I believe, pecu- 
liar to these islands. It is called " The Ealolo Festival " — in other 
words, The Feast of Worms — and occurred yesterday. The balolo I 
is a small sea-worm, long and thin as ordinary vermicelli. Some 
are fully a yard long; others about an inch. It has a jointed 
body and many legs, and lives in the deep sea. 

Only on two days in the whole year do these creatures come to 
the surface of the water. The first day is in October, which is 
hence called Ci Little Balolo," when only a few appear. The natives 
know exactly when they are due, and are all on the look-out for 
them. They make their calculations by the position of certain 
stars. After this no more are seen till the high tide of the fu 
moon, which occurs between the 20 th and 25th of November, 
which hence takes the name of " Great Ealolo," when they rise to 
the surface in countless myriads, always before daybreak. In the 
Samoan Isles the day occurs about a fortnight earlier. At certain 
well-known points near the reefs, the whole sea, to the depth of 
several inches, is simply alive with these red, green, and brown 
creatures, which form one writhing mass, and are pursued by shoal: 
of fish of all sizes, which come to share the feast with the human 
beings. The latter are in a state of the wildest excitement, for i 
is the merriest day of the year, and is looked forward to from om 
November to the next by all the young folk. 

About midnight they go out in their canoes, and anxiously 
await the appearance of the first few worms, and great is th 
struggle to secure these, which herald the approach of untold 
myriads. For several hours there is the merriest sport and laughte 
every one bailing up the worms and trying who can most quickly 
fill his canoe, either by fair sport or by stealing from his neighbour. 
All is noise, scrambling, and excitement, the lads and lasses each 
carrying wicker-baskets with which they capture the worms withou 
carrying too much salt water on board. As the day dawns, thes< 
mysterious creatures with one accord sink once more to their nativ 
depths, and by the moment of sunrise not one remains on the sur 
face ; nor will another be seen for a twelvemonth, when, true to its 
festival, the balolo will certainly return. Never has it been know 
to fail, in the memory of the oldest inhabitant, white or brown. 
Nor is there any record of any one having seen one rise to the sur 
face on any save the two appointed days, which are known as th' 
" Little Balolo " and " Great Balolo." 

Well do the natives know how needless it would be to look fo 

1 Palolo viridis. 



WESLEYAJN" MISSIONS. 65 

one after sunrise, so all the canoes then return to land, wrap their 
balolo in bread-fruit leaves, cook them in ovens dug on the beach, 
and have a great feast — a regular whitebait dinner, in fact. So 
now you know the true meaning of the " Diet of Worms." So 
great is the quantity taken, that the supply generally lasts for 
several days, being warmed up when required ; and basketfuls are 
sent to friends at a distance, just as we in Scotland send a box of 
grouse. Such is our prejudice against all manner of worms, that 
few Europeans appreciate this dainty, which nevertheless is really 
not nasty, especially when eaten like potted meat, with bread and 
butter. It is rather like spinage, with a flavour of the sea, — per- 
haps I should compare it with the laver of the Scilly Isles. Cap- 
tain Olive brought us some to taste, which had been given him by 
some of the Roman Catholic soldiers. 

Sad to say, both this year and last year the full moon tide oc- 
curred on Sunday morning, notwithstanding which, the irreligious 
little worms rose to the surface with, their wonted punctuality. 
So rigid is the obedience of all the Wesleyans in the matter of 
Sabbatical observance, that not one of their canoes went out; 
whereas their Roman Catholic brethren, to whom more laxity is 
allowed, went forth rejoicing. The latter, however, are a very 
small minority, and you can imagine what an act of self-denial it 
must be to give up this highly-valued harvest of the sea on two 
following years. So rigid is the adherence to the letter of the old 
Sabbatical law throughout the group, that not a canoe will put to 
sea except to carry a teacher to a place of worship ; nor will a native 
climb a tree to fetch a cocoa-nut, even when bribed with much 
coveted silver ; in fact, the offer of silver is considered as a Satanic 
temptation to trade on Singha tambu, the holy day. Of course, to 
us this seems an overstraining of obedience, but then these people 
are still like children, for whom a strictly defined law has many 
advantages ; and, moreover, many of them are still in the fervour 
of their first faith, and they certainly are the most devout race (for 
Christians) that I have ever seen. 

Strange indeed is the change that has come over these isles since 
first Messrs Cargill and Cross, Wesleyan missionaries, landed here, 
in the year 1835, resolved at the hazard of their lives to bring the 
light of Christianity to these ferocious cannibals. Imagine the 
faith and courage of the two white men, without any visible pro- 
tection, landing in the midst of these bloodthirsty hordes, whose 
unknown language they had in the first instance to master ; and 
day after day witnessing such scenes as chill one's blood even to 

E 



bb AT HOME IN FIJI. 

hear about. Many such have been described to me by eye- 
witnesses. 

Slow and disheartening was their labour for many years, yet so 
well has that little leaven worked, that, with the exception of the 
Kai Tholos, the wild highlanders ; who still hold out in their moun- 
tain fastnesses, the eighty inhabited isles have all abjured canni- 
balism and other frightful customs, and have lotued (i.e., embraced 
Christianity) in such good earnest as may well put to shame many 
more civilised nations. 

I often wish that some of the cavillers who are for ever sneering 
at Christian missions could see something of their results in these 
isles. But first they would have to recall the Fiji of ten years ago, 
when every man's hand was against his neighbour, and the land 
had no rest from barbarous intertribal wars, in which the foe, 
without respect of age or sex, were looked upon only in the light 
of so much beef ; the prisoners deliberately fattened for the 
slaughter ; dead bodies dug up that had been buried ten or twelve 
days, and could only be cooked in the form of puddings ; limbs 
cut off from living men and women, and cooked and eaten in 
presence of the victim, who had previously been compelled to dig 
the oven, and cut the firewood for the purpose ; and this not only 
in time of war, when such atrocity might be deemed less inexcus- 
able, but in time of peace, to gratify the caprice or appetite of the 
moment. 

Think of the sick buried alive ; the array of widows who were 
deliberately strangled on the death of any great man ; the living 
victims who were buried beside every post of a chief's new house, 
and must needs stand clasping it, while the earth was gradually 
heaped over their devoted heads ; or those who were bound hand 
and foot, and laid on the ground to act as rollers, when a chief 
launched a new canoe, and thus doomed to a death of excruciating 
agony ; — a time when there was not the slightest security for life 
or property, and no man knew how quickly his own hour of doom 
might come; when whole villages were depopulated simply to 
supply their neighbours with fresh meat ! 

Just think of all this, and of the change that has been wrought, 
and then just imagine white men who can sneer at missionary work 
in the way they do. IS r ow you may pass from isle to isle, certain 
everywhere to find the same cordial reception by kindly men and 
women. Every village on the eighty inhabited isles has built for 
itself a tidy church, and a good house for its teacher or native 
minister, for whom the village also provides food and clothing 



WESLEYAN MISSIONS. 67 

Can you realise that there are nine hundred Wesleyan churches in 
Fiji, at every one of which the frequent services are crowded by 
devout congregations ; that the schools are well attended ; and that 
the first sound which greets your ear at dawn, and the last at night, 
is that of hymn-singing and most fervent worship, rising from each 
dwelling at the hour of family prayer? 

What these people may become after much contact with the 
common run of white men, we cannot, of course, tell, though we 
may unhappily guess. At present they are a body of simple and 
devout Christians, full of deepest reverence for their teachers and 
the message they bring, and only anxious to yield all obedience. 

Of course there are a number of white men here, as in other 
countries, who (themselves not caring one straw about any religion) 
declare that Christianity in these isles is merely nominal, adopted 
as a matter of expediency, and that half the people are still heathen 
at heart. Even were this true (and all outward signs go to dis- 
prove it), I wonder what such cavillers expect ! I wonder if they 
know by what gradual steps our own British ancestors yielded to 
the Light, and for how many centuries idolatrous customs continued 
to prevail in our own isles ! Yet here all traces of idolatry are 
utterly swept away. 

I wonder, too, if they ever remember that out of the four million 
inhabitants of London, one million are not recognised as even 
nominal members of any Christian sect ; that of that million an 
exceedingly small number have, even once or twice in their lives, 
entered any place of worship ; and of the remainder, I think, the 
largest charity could scarcely recognise many by any mark of 
special uprightness or devotion ! It would be strange indeed, 
therefore, if these new converts had suddenly acquired a monopoly 
of Christian virtues. 

It is painfully suggestive to know that the thing chiefly depre- 
cated by all who have the welfare of the people at heart, is their 
acquiring English, or being thrown in the way of foreigners. 

I hope you won't think this a very long-winded letter. It is the 
last I shall write to you from Mrs Havelock's pleasant little home, for 
the workmen have been getting on with the new house at Nasova, 
and to-day I am going to rejoin Lady Gordon there. Of course 
we have been meeting almost every da} r , as this house is on a small 
hill close by. In fact, this is the better situation of the two, being 
on a headland which catches every breeze ; whereas Nasova is too 
much sheltered, and actually on the sea-level. There are only a 
dozen steps from the dining-room to the pier, from which, by the 



68 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

way, the gentlemen bathe every morning, in utter defiance of the 
sharks, which have been seen quite close to them. It certainly is 
risky. 

Nasova, Nove mber 30, 1ST5. 

My dearest Nell, — Immense excitement prevailed here last 
night, the Colonial Secretary coming down to rouse up the 
Governor and staff, just as they had got comfortably to bed after 
a grand Levuka ball, to announce that, after all our doubts and 
fears, a large steamer has come with mails from San Francisco. 
AVe fear she has only come once in a way, not knowing the cruel 
decision of the New Zealand Government not to call here. Any- 
how she will take our letters this time, so I may as well begin 
one, especially as it may be some time before I write again ; for, 
two days hence, I am going with the Governor, Lady Gordon, Mr 
Maudslay, and the children, in the new little Government steamer 
to Suva, on Yiti Levu 1 (Great Fiji). There is a good deal of 
work going on here, such as pulling down of old native huts, and 
levelling of earth, and painting the new house ; and Dr Macgregor 
wants to get rid of us all till it is finished, so Sir Arthur has taken 
the so-called hotel, an empty house, at Suva, the proposed site of 
the new capital. It will be very good for the children to have 
change of air. When they are snugly settled we are to go on to 
the Eewa, a very fertile district. If we have such lovely weather 
as this last week has been, it will be pleasant. But last night it 
poured, and looks as if it meant to do so again, which would spoil 
everything. 

From Eewa I am going on a grand expedition with the Lang- 
hams.. Mr L. is the head of the Wesleyan Mission here. He and 
his wife travelled with us from Sydney, and we made great friends, 
and now they have asksd me to go with them on a three weeks' 
cruise up the Eewa river. We shall sleep every night in Fijian 
houses — large reed-huts — so we shall travel really in correct style, 
and yet quite comfortably. It is a great thing for me to have this 
chance, as none of our own set (Lady Gordon, Lady Halkett, Mrs 
de Eicci, Mrs Havelock, or Mrs Macgregor) ever care to leave their 
own roofs. 

Since I last wrote I have moved down from Mrs Havelock's 
house to Nasova, where the new house is so far on that the chil- 
dren are sleeping in the large new drawung-room, and I am in 
possession of their nursery. But my own room is now quite 
1 Viti Levu — pronounce Veetee Layvoo. 



WANT OF CARRIAGE. 69 

ready ; and I was busy yesterday, with the help of an acute darkie 
(Hindoo), in making it all cosy, putting up shelves, and hooks, 
and brackets, and pictures; and by the time I come back the 
garden in front of the windows will be quite in order and full of 
flowers. They do grow well here when any one takes any trouble ; 
and Sir Arthur's head man, Abbey, is possessed of an unbounded 
energy, which delights in organising everything. He works him- 
self, and struggles to make a troop of idle careless Fijians do like- 
wise, so garden, farm, and everything else are taking shape. He 
goes with us to Suva. Captain Knollys remains here in charge of 
everything, and to try to get the work done. He has command of 
a large body of Fijian police, or soldiers, who are always on guard 
here — picturesque people — who keep the place alive, and are to us 
a source of endless interest and amusement. There are also a lot 
of Engineers living in a native house on the green in front, so 
there is no lack of human beings about the place. 

Two days ago a large German man-of-war came in, the Gazelle : 
her band came and played here, and the Levuka world came to 
listen. Last night the German residents gave them a ball ; but 
our distance from the scene of action (a long mile of vile footpath, 
and no alternative but walking) franks us ladies from appearing 
at any of these festivities. 1 There is literally no means of being 
carried, such as we are accustomed to find in all Eastern lands. 
Palanquins, sedan-chairs, dandies, kangos, and all such substitutes 
for carriages, are alike unknown, and if imported, it would be 
impossible to induce men to carry them (at least so we are told). 
So there is nothing for it but to tramp, either in the fierce sun, or, 
if after sunset, carrying lanterns to enable us to avoid the many 
snares and pitfalls of the great highroad. Some of the officers of 
the Gazelle lunched here yesterday, and some more dine to-night. 
They talk very good English. 

The only other events of the week have been two very sad 
deaths. One was that of the contractor for part of this house, a 
young man, only married three months ago ; the other, a fine boy 
of twelve, who climbed a keveeka-tree, overhanging a rocky burn, 
to get bunches of red blossoms, and, alas ! fell off on to the cruel 
boulders, fracturing his leg and arm, and doing internal injury 
besides. For a week they thought he might live, but the lockjaw 
set in, as it commonly does in these climates, from very slight 

1 Before we left the isle, C;iptain Knollys succeeded in drilling a set of men to 
carry Lady Gordon in a wicker-chair ; and on the occasion of certain special festiv- 
ities in the town a second chair was rigged up for me. So probably future resi- 
dents will have chairs and bearers, as a matter of course. 



70 



AT HOME IN FIJL 



wounds (as in the cases of Bishop Patteson and Commodore Good- 
enough, and their men), and the poor fellow died. He is one of a 
large family ; they are in dire grief, as you can fancy. His little 
brother was in the tree with him, and says he almost fainted with 
terror when he saw his brother fall, and can't think how he got 
down himself. It made us all think of ' Misunderstood ' ! The 
cemetery lies on a pleasant hill, one mile further along the shore, 
so we saw both funerals go past. The poor carpenter's coffin was 
rowed in a boat, his friends following by the shore. But the boy's 
funeral, which was a Eoman Catholic one, was more ceremonial, 
and followed by a great number of children carrying flowers. I 
think the poor little brothers and sisters go to the grave almost 
daily. 

I don't think there's anything else to tell you, and I must get 
on with my preparations for the trip. I have got your photograph 
in the white frame, just in front of me, with such a lovely red rose 
and gardenia, and bit of stag's-horn moss, beside it. 



CHAPTEE VIIL 



LIFE ON VITI LEVU SUVA — A FLORAL CLOCK THE REWA RIVER- 
OBSOLETE CUSTOMS FIRST NIGHT IN A NATIVE HOUSE. 



Suva, in Viti Levu (Great Fiji), 
December 10th, 

Dear Eisa, — I find there is a chance of a mail to England, so, 
though I am dead beat, I send just a line to say I am flourishing 
and in lovely scenery, with many kind folk. Perhaps by the time 
this reaches you, you will have seen my last to Nelly, written just 
as we started on this cruise. The children wanted change, so Sir 
Arthur rented this big house, which was formerly a hotel, and 
brought us all here in the Government steamer. The house would 
all go into one average room at home, but by means of partitions 
half-way to the ceiling, the upper floor is divided into a sitting- 
room and six stalls for sleeping in. Of course it is practically all 
one room. 

There is only one other house here, the home of Mr Joski, a 
sugar-planter. His family are very kind, and do all in their 
power to make us comfortable. There is a large sugar-mill here, 



A MORXING CALL. 71 

and the near hills are covered with cane; but this is, unfortu- 
nately, one of the districts where sugar has failed, and the planters 
are hopelessly ruined. It is so sad to see the deserted sugar-mill, 
and the fields of cane that are not considered worth cutting. It 
was absurd foil}'' ever to plant cane at this place, the soil being 
scanty and utterly unsuitable. But this is one of the sites which 
runs the best chance of being chosen as the new capital (of the 
pauper colony), in which case the landowners will some day be rich. 

This harbour is simply lovely. From the flat (which is the 
site of the town in the air) we look across to hills in form like 
those of Torridon in Ross-shire, but covered with densest tropical 
vegetation, and watered by many rivers, each lovelier than the 
last. There are four of these quite near together, and every after- 
noon we explore one or other in the Governor's charming boat, 
rowed by half-a-dozen brown beings with great fuzzy heads, and 
wearing a becoming dress of white, trimmed with crimson. 

This morning I had a good walk in the early morning to get a 
sketch from a lovely site. Then after breakfast we rowed up one 
of the rivers, and lunched on a grassy bank under a shady citron- 
tree, as far up as we could take the boat. The vegetation was too 
exquisite. AVe found several orchids new to us, and a lovely 
pink-and-white wax-like creeper. I never saw such wealth of 
ferns of every sort and kind, specially hundreds of tall tree-ferns, 
with stems about thirty feet, and masses of one like a gigantic 
Osmunda. I never can find seeds of the grandest, but 1 send you 
such as I have. 

AYe had an amusing expedition yesterday. I started early with 
Miss Joski, and our route lay along the top of the ridge, tall reeds 
far over our heads. Before we were aware of its approach, a 
tropical shower came on, and we were drenched (of course my 
dear shiny waterproof kept me dry, but my companion was 
soaked), so we made for a house where a good old Irish couple 
lived, with a troop of babies. They were just getting up. But 
in we marched, and prayed for dry clothes ; and the good woman 
clothed Miss Joski from head to foot, and supplied me with dry 
stockings and boots. Then we joined our picnic breakfast to 
theirs. They insisted on killing a chicken in our honour ; and 
our mutton sandwiches were a rare prize in a district where 
butcher-meat is unattainable. By this time the day was glorious, 
and we sketched till afternoon. 

Such a view, and such a flight of stairs down to the sea — a 
quarter of a mile, and almost perpendicular ! 



72 AT HOME IN FIJI, 

To-morrow early we all start for the Bewa. another district^ 
where there is a great native gathering to meet the Governor. 
Half of the charm of wandering in these mountains is the know- 
ledge that two years ago we should certainly have been eaten ! 

An express arrived yesterday from Levuka with English mails, 
and brought me a letter from Janie. Tell her I nearly lost my 
rings last Monday. We had been lunching up the inner harbour ; 
the gentlemen had all gone off expeditionising, and Lady Gordon 
and I were sitting by the river with only Jack and ]S"evil, when a 
native woman came and crouched beside us. We gave her cakes 
and biscuits to encourage her, as we could not exchange words. 
Then she pointed admiringly to our rings, wishing to try them on ; 
so I put mine on her hand, little dreaming that Fiji custom sanc- 
tions asking for anything you happen to fancy, and that it is an 
unheard-of breach of manners not to give it. So a moment later 
I looked up from my drawing just in time to see the proud 
woman disappearing in the bush with her prize ! Of course I 
rescued my treasures, but fear she will think we were very ill 
bred ! 

On Sunday we walked along the shore, and then by a path 
through the abandoned sugar -h elds, till we came to the little 
native church, where, much to our amusement, the teacher told us 
that he regulates the hour of service by the opening of a Bauhinia 
blossom. He has no clock, but when the flower opens he beats 
the wooden lali, or drum, and then the people assemble. We 
watched this floral timepiece expand its blossoms to the early 
light ; and then the congregation came trooping in to a quiet, 
earnest service, with singing, prayer, and preaching — all very 
devout. Of course the words spoken were to me only a sound, 
but rich and musical, full of vowels, and very like Italian. There 
is a great charm in such a scene; and as we sat on the mats 
during the sermon, it was pleasant to look out from the cool shade 
of the church, through the many open doors, to the calm blue sea 
and sky, seen through a frame of golden -green sugar-canes, the 
leaves just rustling in the faint breeze. Now I must stop; so 
good-bye. 

Navounindrala,! on the Rewa 
Monday, 13th Dec. 

Dearest Eisa, — In my last letters home I mentioned that we 
were just starting for Eewa, where there is a great meeting of chiefs 
1 /.e., the root of the drala-tree. 



THE RWWA RIVER. 73 

to welcome Sir Arthur and Lady G )rdon, and it was arranged that 
I was then to join the Langhams on a voyage far up the river, 
where they are going to visit several new mission stations, among 
tribes who only a few months ago determined to become Christian, 
and requested that teachers might be sent to them. Native teachers 
were accordingly sent, and it is partly to judge of their progress 
that this expedition was planned. 

Starting from Suva in a head wind, about six hours' hard row- 
ing brought us to the Rewa, which is certainly a very fine river — 
the largest of the main island, Yiti Levu, and navigable for fifty 
miles. It receives the waters of various mountain-streams (navig- 
able only by canoes), and itself becomes so large a body of water, 
that, ere reaching the town of Rewa, its width is about equal to 
that of the Thames at London Bridge. Here it divides into a net- 
work of streams, and enters the sea by many mouths, all bordered 
with the monotonous green of the mangrove, which overspreads 
the dreary swamp with its extraordinary and intricate network of 
roots. We passed through some miles of this strange mangrove 
country, starting an innumerable number of wild duck, and at last 
reached Rewa, 1 which is a large village of the invariable thatched 
houses. Here we found a great gathering of the people to receive 

1 It was at this town that Jackson (an Englishman, who, thirty years ago, was 
detained among these people for two years) witnessed an incident of peculiar 
interest, as an illustration of sacrifice to the Earth spirits, — a custom which British 
antiquarians tell us was formerly practised by our own pagan ancestors, and of 
which traces have till very recently lingered among us. A new house was about to 
be built for the chief, Tui Drekete, and the people assembled from all tributary 
villages to bring their offerings, and dance and make merry. A series of large 
holes were dug, to receive the main posts of the house , aud as soon as these were 
reared, a number of wretched men were led to the spot, and one was compelled to 
descend into each hole, and therein stand upright, with his arms clasped round it. 
The earth was then filled in, and the miserable victims were thus buried alive, 
deriving what comfort they might from the belief that the task thus assigned to 
them was one of much honour, as insuring stability to the chiefs house. The same 
idea prevailed with respect to launching a chief's canoe, when the bodies of living 
men were substituted for ordinary rollers — a scene which Jackson also witnessed, 
and quotes to prove how cruelly the tributary tribes were treated by these Rewa 
chiefs, one of whom he accompanied to a neighbouring isle. They came to a place 
called Na ara Bale (meaning "to drag over," literally corresponding to our own 
Tarbert), a low, narrow isthmus, joining two islands together. By dragging the 
canoes across this half-mile of dry land, they were saved a long row round the 
island. On landing, they found the villagers entertaining the people of another 
village which had fallen under the displeasure of Rewa, and at the bidding of the 
chief these people allowed their guests to be surprised in the night, when forty were 
captured ; and each being bound hand and foot to the steins of banana-trees, were 
then laid as rollers, face uppermost, along the path by which the canoes were to be 
dragged across the isthmus. The shrieks of the victims were drowned by the haul- 
ing songs of their captors, and, with one exception, all were crushed to death. One 
poor wretch lingered awhile in torture till the ovens were made ready, in which al> 
were cooked, the guests of the previous day affording the feast for this. 



74 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

the Governor, on his first visit to this tov n ; and as his hoat ap- 
proached, the river-banks were thronged with native chiefs and 
their followers, all squatting on the ground, in the correct attitude 
of respect — for Fijian etiquette prohibits an inferior from standing 
in presence of a superior, as strictly as ;t forbids him passing 
behind him. 

So great a concourse of people had rarely, if ever, been seen at 
Eewa: it was calculated that nearly 5000 were present, a number 
the more remarkable as the ravages of the measles last spring were 
peculiarly felt in this district, where it is computed that 8000 
perished, including no less than ninety teachers, all carefully 
trained men, — a loss which cannot easily be replaced. 

Great were the preparations for the native festivities on the 
morrow, and you can imagine my dismay on learning that, owing 
to the irregularity of posts, and the day for this ceremony having 
been repeatedly deferred, Mr Lfngham had made all his arrange- 
ments for starting from Eewa that very day. And, in truth, we 
had not landed live minutes, when the mission boat arrived from 
Bau. Complicated arrangements had been made for teachers and 
people to come from distant points and meet us at different villages 
on each day of the week, so that delay was impossible. Conse- 
quently I was obliged to give up one thing or the other, which was 
intensely aggravating ; but, on weighing both, the expedition into 
the interior was voted the more important; and so, with many 
regrets, I turned away from Eewa and its picturesque crowds, 
merely halting long enough to get some tea from Mrs Webb at 
the ever-hospitable Wesleyan mission station. Then we embarked 
in the large mission boat, — Mr and Mrs Langham and myself, 
rowed by half-a-dozen stalwart young students from the training 
institution at Bau. 

We had to row six miles up the river against wind and tide, and 
we were all very weary, especially the student boatmen, who had 
rowed nearly all the way from Bau, and whqse time grew slower 
and slower, till I counted twelve seconds between each stroke. 
The sun was setting when we started, and shed a golden glow 
over the low flat shores of the river, where we hailed the sight 
of many cattle, pastured in real grassy meadows, — the first we 
have seen in Fiji. The soil here is richly alluvial, and from four- 
teen to fifteen feet in depth. It is expected to yield large returns 
to sugar-planters. 

Happily we had a glorious full moon, which made night clear as 
day; but it was past ten ere we reached Navousi, the house of 



A1STDI KUILLA'S HOUSE. 75 

Andi Kuilla, Thakombau's favourite daughter, who was absent, and 
her people did not expect us till two days later ; so her house was 
shut up, and there was some delay before a fire was lighted, water 
brought, tea made, and supper eaten, and our mosquito-nets hung 
up, and then family prayers in Fijian. So it was 12.30 before we 
turned in. It was my first night in a native house, which consists 
only of one large room for everybody. In a very fine chief's house, 
such as this, large curtains of native cloth are hung up at night to 
divide the upper end into several snug compartments. There is no 
furniture whatever ; and a pile of soft mats is the only bedding 
required. A Fijian pillow consists of a bamboo, or a bar of wood, 
standing on two wooden legs, six inches high, which supports the 
neck only (very much like the pillows of the Kaffirs, and on the 
same principle as those of Japan). Here it was invented to avoid 
spoiling the elaborately dressed hair, which formerly was a most 
important consideration. We, being given to luxury, each carry 
a soft pillow for our weary heads, and very fine nets to shield us 
from the attacks, not only of mosquitoes, but of a vicious, virulent, 
though scarcely visible, sand- fly, which infests the mangrove swamp 
and many parts of the river. We also carry sheets and a blanket 
in case of cold nights, and pieces, three yards long, of strong Amer- 
ican cloth, to keep our bedding dry ; also plaids, which we can hang 
up to build ourselves tiny rooms within the great public room, where 
all the boatmen, and sometimes many other people, will sleep. 

I was sorry that Andi Arietta Kuilla was not at home ; I have 
met her at Nasova, and also seen her fishing with her maidens of 
noble birth, all clad in the lightest raiment, consisting chiefly of 
daintily woven garlands — for fishing, you must know, means bath- 
ing, and fun and frolic, in the warm bright sea. But here at 
Navousi she is the dignified 'widow of a very high chief of this 
district, which she rules with masculine vigour and wisdom. 

At daybreak we again embarked and proceeded up the river, fre- 
quently halting to call at the houses of English planters. Every- 
where we heard the same distressing tale of failure and loss : 
worthless crops, or good crops lost by untoward delays of one sort 
or another; falling prices and ruined markets, and the sickening 
sinking of spirit by reason of hope deferred, because annexation 
had failed to act as a magic wand, at whose mere approach all 
grievances would be righted, and each man see his own hearth 
desire fulfilled. At every house where we halted, we profited by 
that excellent institution of the colonies, tea at all hours — which 
wo accepted the more readily knowing that we were bidding a 



76 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

long farewell to milk. But the tale of poverty was one which 
needed no telling, for it was too plainly written on every side, 
especially in the untidy, uncared-for homes. Of course there are 
exceptions, and we called at two houses whose gardens bright with 
scarlet hybiscus and other blossoms were pleasant to behold, and 
where generous gifts of oranges, from laden trees, were a welcome 
addition to our stores. 

It was sunset ere we reached our destination, the village of 
Delandamanu (i.e., the hill on whose top the damanu-tiees grow), 
where it was arranged that we shoidd sleep in the church — some- 
what a startling idea at first, but one which seemed less unnatural 
from the fact of the church being just like any other clean, well- 
matted house; and of course all our food was brought in ready 
cooked. So we rigged up our tents as usual, and, for once, slept in 
church with full permission from the parson ! 

In truth we had good reason to rejoice in our position, command- 
ing a very lovely view of shapely mountain-ranges, and of the river 
winding through rich green country. The church stands on the 
side of a tiny hill, on the summit of which is the village graveyard. 
I observe these are almost invariably on hill-tops, generally very 
secluded, and in beautiful situations. They are often tasteful and 
well cared for, overshadowed by the mournful casurina or ironwood 
tree, called in Fijian noko noko, and adorned with tall red-leaved 
shrubs, dracrena, and others. The graves themselves are sometimes 
conical heaps of red earth, with white sand on the top, sometimes 
covered with small green pebbles, brought from afar, and sometimes 
merely edged with tree-fern wood* This one is peculiar, inasmuch 
as, although the dead are buried horizontally, the external grave 
slopes with the hill. 

Here Ave lingered long in the clear, beautiful moonlight, and here 
we returned with the first ray of dawn. A very old man, a Fijian 
version of Old Mortality, lives on the extreme summit of the little 
hill, and has charge of the village drums — I mean the wooden led is, 
which used to be called lali inboholo (meaning the drum for the 
cannibal feast), but which now send forth their deep booming tones 
only to call the people to school or church. I should like to have 
stayed a good while at this place to sketch, and Mr Langham pro- 
mises a longer halt on our return ; but this time we had to hurry 
on and start at 6 a.m., having previously had prayers and breakfast. 

It did feel so odd to be living in a church ! Happily it was 
beautifully clean. And oh, what a contrast to the house of a family 
of white planters where we called that day ! The very picture of 



FIJIAN SUNDAY CLOTHES. 77 

a poverty-stricken home. An English cottager would refuse to live 
in such a house, with its broken earthen floor. Such a contrast to 
the comfortable, thick, clean mats in the native houses we have 
been in. Yet white men in general seem to consider that they are 
bringing their families low indeed when they adopt a purely native 
house as home, and mats in lieu of chairs. Perhaps they are right, 
though for my own part I think I must confess to having rather 
a weakness for Fijian mat life. No doubt it tends to foster that 
indolence which is the bane of the islanders ; and there is no deny- 
ing that when once you have sunk down to rest on these soft, cool, 
tempting mats in the semi-darkness of a Fijian house, you do feel 
sorely disinclined to rise thence without very good cause. When 
this becomes a habit, it is a recognised evil known as mat-fever ! 
Certainly the hard wooden chairs, or old, broken, worn-out sofas of 
these poor white homes, are in no danger of pampering habits of 
luxury. Yet at this place there were two bright lasses contriving to 
grow up somehow, and one of them reminded me of ' Cometh up 
as a Flower,' with her glorious halo of tangled yellow hair. This 
was the furthest point at which we found a white family. There 
were other neighbours, but after long battling with failing crops 
and ever-deepening poverty, they have all left the country in 
despair. 

A messenger has just arrived from Eewa bringing us letters. 
Mine is another proof of the utter irregularity of posts which 
depend on vague sailing-boats. Six weeks ago I accepted an invi- 
tation to go to the Leefes' at Nananu, only a day's sail from 
Levuka, Receiving no further message, I wrote, a fortnight later, 
to put off that visit for the present ; and now I have a letter from 
Mr Leefe, who had come to Levuka at great inconvenience to fetch 
me ; and though the distance is " only a day's sail," it may involve 
a detention of many days. 

We have been here for four days, as it is a large central district ; 
and are very cosily housed with " Kichard," the village teacher, a 
fine handsome fellow of the upper class, and one who takes pride 
in having his house a pattern of neatness and order, greatly to our 
comfort. Yesterday being Sunday, our crew dispersed at daybreak 
to hold services in many distant villages in remote valleys just 
emerging from heathenism. I scarcely recognised them when they 
all appeared in their clean white shirts and sulus, their ordinary 
working dress being merely a sulu, with wreaths of green leavos 
hanging in fringes from the waist and shoulders. But they are 
very particular about their Sunday shirts being well starched and 



78 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

ironed, and Mrs Langham's nice Fijian girl, who hplps them with 
their washing, has to bestow greater care on their garments than on 
her master's. I think I told yon that they are students from the 
Mission Institute — fine young fellows destined to become teachers 
or native ministers, according to their capacity, and in the mean- 
time doing what they can by teaching in the villages through which 
they pass. 

The mission has in each district a certain number of such lads 
in training, and these, amongst them, do whatever work is required 
in the house and about the premises. Thence the most promising 
are drafted off to the college at Navouloa, which lies half-way be- 
tween Eewa and Bau, where, after careful training, their ultimate 
destination is decided. 

You can imagine it is by no means an easy matter to keep 1400 
schools supplied with teachers, though the people themselves are 
quite willing to support them. At the present moment this diffi- 
culty is greatly increased, owing to the number of teachers who 
died in the measles. Mr Webb has lost ninety, and Mr Langham 
forty; and other districts have suffered in proportion. 

The house is at this moment full of people, who have assembled 
froxn far and near to talk to Mr or Mrs Langham — men, women, 
and children. ^Naturally there is a considerable amount of chatter- 
ing, to me incomprehensible. Eut it sounds musical, and rather 
like Italian, liquid, and full of vowels ; not only simple vowels, 
but compounds, in which each letter is distinctly sounded, as ai, 
au, ei, eu, oi, ou, and iu. There are very few guttural or hissing 
sounds. You constantly hear names in which every other letter is 
a vowel, as, for example, Namosimalua, Natavutololo, ^Taivuruvuru, 
Verata, Verani, Ndrondro-vakawai, Lewe-ri-lovo, Yaka-loloma, Toa- 
levu, &c. The first words I learnt were of course the morning and 
evening greetings. Slandra ? (are you awake 1) Sa mothe ? (are 
you asleep ?) to which the people add na maramma (lady), or na 
turanga (lord), or saka (sir). When they say Eo saka (yes, sir) 
very fast, it sounds as if they were saying it in English, which at 
first, hearing it from the students, I supposed to be the case. Few 
and laconic are my own phrases. Maroroya is a prayer to those 
around me to be careful ; kusa kusa begs them to make haste ; sara 
sara (to look about one), fully satisfies any one who might wonder 
what I was staring at, and comes home to the Fijian mind as quite 
a natural condition ; sa legge mothe. though no means courteous, 
advises them to go to sleep and leave me alone. What chiefly 
catches my ear are the number of words formed by reduplication, 



FIJIAN WORDS. 79 

as vest vesi, a little spear ; vale vale, a little house ; hende kendc, a 
mountain ; noko noko, ironwood ; vula vula, white ; dre dre, diffi- 
cult ; mothe mothe, bed (mothe means sleep) ; yau yau, mist ; hatu 
kata, boiling ; lia lia, silly ; wai wai, oil ; levu is big ; lei lei, small ; 
vulu vulu, cramfull ; velo velo, a canoe ; reki tela, joy ; vuvu, jeal- 
ous ; dronga dronga, hoarse, &c. And so in the names of places. 
I hear of Loma Loma, Somo Somo, Sau Sau, Drua Drua, Euku 
Kuku, Savu Savu, and so on. In case you care to count in Fijian, 
here are the numerals. One, two, three, &c. Dua, rua, tolu, va, 
lima, ono, vitu, walu, ciwa (thiiva), tini. Then come tine ha dua, 
tine ha rua, and so on up to twenty. There are certain nouns 
which in themselves express numbers, as : sasa, ten mats ; vara, ten 
pigs ; bure, ten clubs ; bola, a hundred canoes ; selavo, a thousand 
cocoa-nuts. These are used in combination with ordinary numerals, 
thus : Rua sasa, twenty mats ; tini selavo, ten thousand nuts. 

I am told that the language is remarkably rich, and expresses 
minute shades of ideas. Thus there are three words for the pos- 
sessive pronouns, varying with the nature of the noun following, 
as my food, my drink, or my canoe. Personal pronouns are equally 
varied ; there are no less than six words answering to our tve. 

There are seven words to express different conditions of weari- 
ness, six to express seeing, a dozen for dirty, fourteen for to cut, 
sixteen for to strike. There are separate expressions for washing 
clothes, house, dishes, feet, hands, body, face, or head ; also for such 
varied movement as that of a caterpillar, a lizard, or a serpent, or 
for the different manners in which it is possible to clap hands 
ceremonially. 

So you can understand that it is not only a very rich tongue, 
but also an exceedingly troublesome one to learn accurately ; and 
as very slight mistakes are apt to convey to native ears very differ- 
ent ideas to those we wish to convey, you can understand that I 
prefer being very troublesome to my most patient companions, 
rather than plunge headlong into such difficulties. 

Of course both Mr and Mrs Langham talk it to perfection, for 
they have lived entirely with the people for seventeen years, and 
know every detail about all the native tribes and their chiefs, and 
their quarrels, and their domestic troubles. Mr Langham was for 
years going to and fro among the cannibal tribes, when they were 
all at war, as mediator and teacher, urging them to make peace and 
to abstain from the horrible customs of heathenism, and accept the 
loving law of Christ. His way is smooth enough now, but there 
was stiff work to do till very recent days } for he has seen Fiji in 



80 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

all its phases, — all successive varieties of governments or anarchies. 
And he and his gentle little wife have lived in the midst of fight 
ings and wars, in the days when the name of Fiji was synonynioua 
with cannibalism and cruelties of the most horrible description. 

Now I am going out to explore some of the trails which lead to 
higher ridges, that I may see the mountains in the interior, some 
of which rise to a height of 5000 or 6000 feet, but are hidden 
from us by nearer ranges. It makes me laugh now to remember 
how, the first day I was walking alone on the hills of Ovalau, I 
hid myself among the bushes from a solitary Fijian, the savage of 
my imagination. Now, in far wilder country, I walk alone in 
perfect security wherever fancy leads me. 



CHAPTEE IX 

BATHING AL FRESCO THE UPPER HEW A BARTER NATIVE HOUSES 

A FUNERAL WEDDINGS GRACE. 

Nakoro Vatu (the Stone Town), 
December 19, 1875. 

Dearest Jean, — You will have heard from Eisa of our start from 
"Rewa. Now we are a long way up the river, and indulging in a 
sort of continuous picnic, which is full of interest to me, though 
very difficult to describe so as to convey to you any idea of its 
fascination to one actually living in it. 

The stream, of course, narrowed rapidly as we ascended, and in 
doing so gained immensely in interest. Gradually we approached 
beautiful mountain-ranges, and whenever we landed and ascended 
even the smallest rising ground, we found ourselves encircled by 
a panorama of rare loveliness. But of course, so long as we were 
on the water-level our horizon was bounded by the river-banks, 
and after a while the mere loveliness of vegetation became almost 
monotonous, and we found ourselves gliding unheeding past forests 
of tree-ferns and grand old trees, festooned with a network of 
lianas, rich and rare, such as a few days previously would have 
driven us into ecstasies of delight. Here and there, where some 
quiet pool in a rocky stream offered a tempting bathing-place, we 
called a halt, and therein revelled, while the boatmen were boiling 



UP THE REWA. 81 

the kettle and preparing breakfast or lunch in some shady nook at 
a respectful distance. ]S T o words can describe to you how delicious 
are such impromptu bathes in clear sparkling streams, embowered 
in exquisite ferns, which meet overhead, throwing a cool shade on 
the water, and forming a lovely tracery, through which you get 
glimpses of the bluest sky. And the light that does reach you is 
mellowed, and the colour of the great fronds is like that tender 
green of beech -woods in early spring; and the water is so fresh 
and delightful that you would fain prolong your bathe all day. 

"We halted several days at JSavounindrala, where the river 
branches off into two heads, the Wai Ximala and the Wai Nim- 
booco, both too shallow at this season to admit of the large boat 
going any further; so, leaving it at the junction, we transferred 
our three selves to one very large canoe, while two ordinary ones 
carried our necessary goods. Thenceforward we paddled and poled 
by turns, as occasion demanded : and when any difficulty arose in 
ascending rapids, we invariably found ready helpers willing to lend 
lis their aid. 

We first proceeded up the Wai !N"imbooco, sleeping at various 
villages, in which no white women had previously set foot ; nor, 
indeed, any white teacher, for it is only a year since these people 
were cannibal and heathen. The first native teachers sent to them 
died in the measles, and those now sent to replace them are men 
from the Windward Isles, half Tongan, and they find great diffi- 
culty in mastering the mountain dialect, which differs greatly from 
that of Bau and other coast districts. But the people seem eager 
to make the very most of their small advantages, and everywhere 
we find flourishing schools and most devout congregations; and 
our party receives cordial welcome, the villagers crowding round to 
shake hands, foreign fashion. I certainly prefer this to having my 
hand sniffed impressively ! 

In some villages the people brought very curious bowls, clubs, 
and spears for sale, and I have greatly enlarged my collection. 
Some of the wood-carving is so fine that it fills me with wonder, 
when I remember that hitherto the only implements of these 
artists have been stone-axes, and rats' or sharks' teeth to do the 
finer work. Imagine the patience and contrivance which every carved 
spear-head represents. I bought several very tall carved walking- 
sticks, used by the old men, which I think some of you will like 
to adopt as alpenstocks, though you can never hope to look as pic- 
turesque as the fine old men who brought them to me. The} 
generally ask for large strong knives, or so many fathoms of very 

F 



82 AT HOME IK FIJI. 

wide strong white calico, in preference to money, and are very dis- 
criminating as to quality, having learnt by sad experience how 
worthless are the cheap Manchester fabrics sent to these isles for 
trade with natives — mere whitened shams, made up with dressing, 
and useless when washed. 

Each night we slept at a different native house, and became 
quite expert at rigging up our mosquito-curtains to the rafters, and 
constructing Little rooms of matting, to give us each a corner to 
ourselves, always planned so as, if possible, to include an opei 
door, to secure fresh air, for these people are as careful to exclude 
the night air as any old woman in Scotland. 

When our sleeping quarters are arranged, then comes the curious 
evening meal, followed by family prayers, with reading and singing, 
at which are present a troop of villagers, who have previously as- 
sembled to see the strange white people eat the food presented by 
themselves — happily with the addition of tea and sugar, and white 
bread, which Mrs Langham (notable housekeeper) succeeds in bak- 
ing, on every possible occasion, in a small portable oven. 

All the houses, whether of chief or vassal, are alike built on a 
foundation of stones several feet high. Thus the house is raised 
above the damp ground. Sometimes you enter by steps, rudely 
hewn from one log; and a wooden bowl of water invites the 
visitor to wash his feet before entering. We invariably take off 
our boots to avoid dirtying the nice clean mats. Every house con- 
sists of only one room, varying, of course, in size ; but the largest 
must be limited to the length of one piece of timber, which is the 
ridge-pole, and with two other roughly hewn trees, laid lengthwise, 
supports the frame -work of rafters, whereon rests the heavy 
thatched roof, the whole sustained by upright trees, notched at 
the top, and all bound together with strongly knotted stems of 
some forest vine. The sides are supported, and doorways formed, 
by black pillars, about ten feet in height, made of the stems of 
beautiful tree-ferns, which here grow in such abundance that they 
are commonly used for making fences, also for edging graves. 

In building a large house about a hundred of these pillars are 
required. Those forming the doorway are frequently bound with 
sinnet (which is a kind of coarse string), black, brown, or yellow, 
interwoven so as to form most elaborate patterns, extremely artistic 
in effect. Sometimes in churches, all the rafters are thus adorned, 
each being of a different design, telling of the patient care that has 
been lavished on their decoration. Sometimes, too, they are orna- 
mented with pure white shells (the Cyprea ovula), strings of which 



FIJIAN HOUSES. 83 

are also wreathed round the projecting ends of the ridge-pole, and 
| hang thence in long graceful festoons. 1 

The walls, both of houses and churches, are generally formed of 
: reeds, with a thick outer coating of dried leaves. You can fancy 
! how readily such buildings burn on the smallest provocation ; the 
I only marvel is why fires are not far more numerous, considering 
j the extreme carelessness with which the blazing bamboos, which 
j act the part of candles, are carried about ; to say nothing of the 
! fireplaces, of which there are occasionally several in one house, and 
\ which are merely hollows sunk in the floor, with an edge of rough 
| wood dividing them from the mats. One of these is generally in 
j the centre of the house. Chimneys are unknown luxuries ; so the 
! smoke floats about at random, and settles in rich brown layers on 
I the rafters, and on the household goods that rest thereon, which 
sometimes include an old war-club of curious form, which probably 
j has made short work of many a foeman's skull, or a long black 
spear, with three or four feet of most beautiful and intricate carving 
extending upward from the head. 

There is generally a sort of scaffolding of rude posts and shelves 
! above the fire, which is used for cooking, and here, through the 
thick blue wood-smoke you perceive various cooking-pots and 
earthenware jars. Carved wooden bowls of various form and size 
hang round the walls : some with curiously carved handles, of 
which you never see two alike, are used to contain oil ; others are 
used in the manufacture of the noxious national drink called yan- 
gona (elsewhere throughout the Pacific known as kava). 

The large wooden bowls in which the yangona is prepared, and 
the small cocoa-nut shells in which it is served, both acquire a 
beautiful enamel, sometimes of a bluish colour, which is called the 
bloom, and gives great value to the bowl. A few wooden pillows 
— merely a stick or bamboo on two short legs — complete the scanty 
household inventory. There is no more furniture of any sort. 

All round the fires lie the family and their friends on their mats, 
beneath which is spread a thick layer of soft dry grass. 

We always occupy what I may call the " company bedroom ; " 
for though the whole floor of the house is alike covered with mats, 
the best are reserved for the upper end, which is generally raised 
about a foot, forming a sort of dais for the use of the principal 
persons present, and often carpeted with a pile of fine mats. This 
is invariably given up to us, and here, as I told you, we hang up 

1 The ridge-pole of a new house is frequently wreathed with long trails of the 
exquisite God-fern, the Wa Kalo. 



84 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

our mosquito-curtains, and with the help of a few mats and plaids 
quickly rig up our simple tents. 

The other end of the room is generally crowded all day. Hap- 
pily most of the natives clear out at night ; but so long as the 
rare spectacle of three white faces is to be seen we cannot wondei 
at the interest created, one which, I am bound to say, is reciprocal. 
Many of our visitors walk for miles across the mountains, bringing 
us presents of food ; for, however poor they may be themselves, the 
customs of Fiji require that the utmost hospitality should be shown 
to strangers ; and in the case of such honoured guests as a mission- 
ary and his party, every care must be taken that they, at least, shall 
find no lack of whatever the villages can supply. 

After spending a week on the Wai Ximbooco we returned to the 
junction, and thence turned up the course of the other stream, the 
Wai Ximala, and at sunset reached this town. 'We were greatly 
tantalised by the charming position of the teacher's house, on 
somewhat isolated hill, commanding a grand view ; but, as a matter 
of policy, we had to stay at the chief's house, in the very middle 
of the village, and felt it close and stuffy, though it is a large 
house, very well built. Eight large trees form the main pillars, 
while upwards of one hundred fine tree-ferns have been sacrificed 
to make the small black pillars on either side. The walls are of 
double reeds, crossed ; very beautiful patterns of fine sinnet-work 
{i.e., coloured string), on the lintels, and hanging curtains of long 
grass. The chief himself is ill, lying before a blazing fire, which, with 
a thermometer at about 80°, is scarcely our idea of comfort. The 
only thing he seemed to enjoy is an occasional bowl of very sweet 
tea, which Mrs L. makes for him, and which is a very great 
luxury; though to us the lack of milk is a continual drawback. 
Sometimes we make cream by grating cocoa-nut and squeezing it 
through a cloth ; but though delicious for very occasional use, it is 
so rich that we very quickly take a strong aversion to it, and prefer 
to do without. Occasionally we get an egg, which, beaten up, is 
really an excellent substitute. 

A poor fellow in the house next to us was very ill all last night, 
and died this morning. He was a stranger, with no one to mourn 
ior him, so he was rolled up in an old mat, with head and feet 
protruding, and thus carried to his grave. On reaching the place, 
Mr Langham found it had been dug too short, so it had to be 
lengthened at the last moment. It is a pretty burial-ground, the 
graves, as usual, edged with tree-fern wood. I had a solitary walk 
up the hill, through tall reeds, up gullies shaded by rank plantains, 



UPPER REWA. 85 

all matted with lovely vines, and had a grand view from the high 
ground. This village is clean and orderly. 

To-day being Sunday there has been much church-going, — very 
large and attentive congregations, — apparently most devout. After 
morning service there were no less than thirteen weddings ! Some 
were new couples ; others very old folk, who wished to be legally 
wedded on the occasion of their becoming Christian and one-wived. 
The superfluous wives are in large demand by men who hitherto 
have failed to secure domestic bliss. We also had several baptisms 
— one was a big child, who was so much alarmed at the sight of 
the white teacher that he ran away howling. 

At this moment I am surrounded by a crowd of brown women, 
who have crept up to me very shyly and cautiously, and are watch- 
ing the progress of this letter with great interest. Already some of 
them have begun to learn writing, and many can read quite fluently. 
To-morrow there is to be a great school examination. Supper is 
ready — roast pig and taro ; and all are hungry, but waiting for 
Mr L. to say grace,— so I must go. Good-night. — Your loving 
sister. 



CHAPTEE X. 



UPPER REWA — SUNDAY AMONG THE CONVERTS — SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS — 
A "MISSIONARY MEETING" — SAVAGE ORNAMENTS — RED TAPE — MiKZS 
—EVENING PRAYER — MARRIAGES. 

NlRUKURDKU, ON THE UPPER REWA RlVER, 

December 23d. 

My dear Alexa, — I have not written to you since I started on 
this trip, but of course you have heard all my news from the 
others. We came here yesterday in the canoe, as the rapids are so 
strong that the boat could not face them, and the men. strong as 
they are, had to call others to their aid, and even then had hard 
work to pull us up stream. But the scenery is most lovely, though 
we rarely leave the water-level, and the glimpses we do get of the 
grand mountains make us long to penetrate right up to them. But 
this would involve far too much walking for either Mrs Langham 
or myself, and there is no other means of locomotion. Oh, what I 
would give to have my dear Himalayan da.idie here, with a team 



86 AT HOME m FIJI. 

of strong Panaris (hill-men) to carry me ! The highlanders here 
(the Kai Colos, men of the mountains) are just as strong, but the 
idea of carrying a lady has not yet occurred to them ; indeed we 
are the first specimens of the race whom they have seen ! 

This is the furthest point to which we can go, and here we are 
to spend Christmas, as Mr Langham is anxious to hold service him- 
self on that day, and the people will assemble from far and near. 

I think it might well startle some of our sleepy congregations to 
find themselves in a Fijian church (of which there are 900 in these 
isles, for every village which becomes Christian begins by building 
a church and a teacher's house, and undertakes to feed and clothe 
the latter, besides giving him small payment in kind for individual 
schooling). 

To say nothing of largely attended week-day evening services, 
there are on Sundays three regular services, beginning with a prayer- 
meeting at 6 a.m. Each of these is crowded, and a large number 
also attend Sunday-school in the afternoon ; and many prove how 
attentively they have listened to the teacher by repeating on Mon- 
day the whole substance of the sermons preached the previous 
day. 

The form of service is much the same as in a Presbyterian 
church, with the addition of the Te Deum and Apostles' Creed, 
which are chanted in the native fashion, the missionaries having 
wisely made use of native customs when practicable. The purely 
national tunes, if such I may call them, have a certain attraction in 
their drone-like monotony ; those borrowed from us are generally 
discordant, but certainly heartily rendered ; and the apparent ear- 
nestness in prayer of all present is most striking. Every one, 
without exception, kneels on the matted floor (of course there are 
no seats), and lies doubled up, with head resting on the earth, 
touching the bare feet of the kneeler in front of him. Here and 
there a tiny brown child stands beside its' mother, the only creature 
not prostrate. You can look at this scene as long as you please, 
certain that no one will look up and catch you staring, for never a 
head is raised. So you overlook a closely packed mosaic of tawny 
frizzled heads, bare brown backs, and white sulus (kilts). 

Nor is there the slightest reason for thinking that this is merely 
an outward show of devotion. Everything in daily life tends to 
prove its reality. The first sound that greets your ear in the 
morning, and the last at night, is the sound of family worship in 
every house in the village. I am positively assured that the 
presence of the white missionary makes no appreciable difference 



SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS. 87 

in the congregations, and that the churches are just as crowded 
when there is only the native teacher to lead the simple worship. 

One thing which strikes us forcibly in all our dealings with 
these people is their exceeding honesty. Day after day our goods 
are exposed in the freest manner, more especially on Sundays, 
when for several hours not a creature remains in the house where 
we happen to be staying, which is left with every door wide open, 
and all our things lying about. Boxes and bags which are known 
to contain knives and cloth and all manner of tempting treasures, 
stand unlc "iked, and yet, though the village is invariably within a 
stone's-throw, we have never lost the . value of a pin's head. I 
confess, however,' it was som e time before I could stifle all qualms 
of misgiving on seeing a crowd of what some people might call 
savages swoop down on our property and carry it off piecemeal to 
the boat or village, as the case might be ; but when day after day 
passed and nothing was ever missing, I gradually acquired the 
implicit trust which has proved so well founded. 

Poor as these people are, their generosity is most remarkable, 
and they give freely of such things as they have, both to those 
among themselves who may be in need, and also for the spread of 
the Christian cause. Not only does each village support its own 
teacher, but considerable offerings for a general fund are made at 
the annual school examinations and "missionary meetings." No- 
thing could be more distressing than to have nothing to give on 
such a day, so those who have no money will walk miles across 
the hills, bringing some treasured bowl or spear for sale; and 
great is the anxiety to receive payment in numerous small coins, 
that no member of the family may appear empty-handed on the 
great feast-day. Very Often, however, it is to obtain a copy of the 
precious Fijian Testament that the household treasure is thus 
offered for sale ; for already an immense number can read, and are 
as well instructed in Bible history and precepts as any Scotch 
peasant of the good old school. 

What a very tame scene a school examination at home will 
seem after those we have here witnessed, with the multitude of 
brown scholars, all so very attentive ! Certainly we have no 
cause to complain of over-dressing or use of artificial flowers ; but 
the usual wreaths of green, lilac, or yellow leaves, hanging in long 
fringes from waist and shoulders, figure largely, also those made of 
long narrow leaves of the screw-pine, gaily dyed red and yellow. 

At one place we found the scholars, old and young, of eight 
villages assembled to receive us. They began, as usual, by coming 



88 



AT HOME IN FIJI. 



up in procession, and each depositing an offering at the feet of the 
missionary. This generally consists of one root of yam or taro, a 
hunch of tobacco-leaves, a sugar-cane, or a yangona root ; but on 
this occasion some discriminating scholars brought old war -clubs 
and bowls, to say nothing of a pile of the fringe dresses aforesaid ! 
Then followed a meke, which is a quaint national dance with 
accompaniment of singing. 

Some of the old mekes are not considered desirable, as, for 
example, that dance of death which accompanied the carrying of 
dead bodies to the temple, preparatory to cooking them, and 
others of heathen or immoral association. The schools are there- 
fore encouraged to select new subjects. So they gave us a dance 
and pantomime all about the capture of Jerusalem, and very 
curious it was. Then they went through very creditable Scrip- 
tural examination and recitation, with some reading and writing, 
and finished off with a most extraordinary method of spelling and 
doing mental arithmetic. I cannot attempt to describe it, further 
than to say that though all the scholars as usual sat on the ground, 
the whole body was in perpetual motion, swaying from side to 
side, each row in opposite directions. There was incessant clap- 
ping of hands, now on one side, now on the other, now on the 
ground, now in mid-air, and all in measured time; while the 
calculations were shouted aloud, and apparently produced a cor- 
rect result. The action gone through for the spelling and arith- 
metic lesson was quite different, though wholly indescribable. In 
all these movements the most accurate time is marked. In some 
schools geography is also taught, the lesson being a series of 
chanted questions and answers, which, however musical, can 
scarcely be expected to convey much meaning to the mind of the 
Fijian, who assuredly believes his own isles to be the greatest and 
most important in the world. At the close of the proceedings, 
each scholar approached in turn, and stripping off his or her green 
wreaths, laid them in a heap at our feet, whence they were 
removed by the boatmen for their own adornment. Such is a 
school examination in Fiji. 

As for the missionary meetings, they by no means resemble 
those held in Exeter Hall ! They are simply great days of native 
merry-making, when the missionaries very wisely encourage the 
people to keep up the most popular and innocent of their national 
games and dances, and when all who attend bring offerings accord- 
ing to their ability and inclination. 

The first meeting of this sort at which I was present was held 



MEKES. 89 

at the junction of two heads of the great Kewa river, the Wai 
IsTimbooco and the Wai Nimala. On the first day, the people of 
sev nteen towns (or villages) assembled, and the crowd must have 
nu nbered fully 2000. On the following day about ten more 
towns arrived, and, with slight variations, the programme was 
repeated. We sat under trees on the river-bank, facing the village 
green, and each town came up in turn in procession, all quaintly 
dressed up as if for a fancy ball, and marched slowly past us, every 
one carrying his offering in his mouth for greater security — a purse 
at once novel and self-acting ; for, as both hands were often busy 
with spear and fan, it was a saving of trouble, and by no means 
disrespectful, just to spit out the coin on the mat spread to receive 
offerings. Some had quite a mouthful to give — three or four 
shillings. The latter was a sum much aimed at, as the donors of 
such large contributions had the pride of knowing that their 
names would appear in a printed list ! an honour not wholly 
without attraction even in Fiji. 

The town then divided into two companies. One acted as 
orchestra, sitting on the ground, — some clapping hands, sometimes 
with the palms flat, sometimes hollowed, to produce diversity of 
tone — some striking the ground with short, resonant bamboos, 
held vertically, which produce a strange booming sound — all 
singing old words, the meaning of which they have in many cases 
forgotten. The chant is invariably commenced by one voice, and 
the chorus takes it up after a few notes. The other company 
danced, — the quaintest, wildest dances you can conceive, with 
much pantomime and most graceful action. Every action and 
posture one sees in a good ballet are found here ; and such pretty 
grouping with fans, spears, or clubs. Many of the figures are very 
intricate, and the rapidity of movement and flexibility of the 
whole body are something marvellous, — it seems as if every 
muscle was in action, and all the postures are graceful. The 
dance gets wilder and more excited as it goes on, generally ending 
with an unearthly yell, in which all the spectators join. 

They are all sitting round in every available corner, generally 
spreading a bit of plantain-leaf on the ground to keep their dress 
clean : for, of course, every one is attired in his very best — per- 
haps a kilt of English long-cloth (or, far more attractive in our 
eyes, native cloth of rich brown pattern). White native cloth 
is worn as a girdle, and hangs behind in large folds; wreaths 
of long hanging grass are worn round the arms and legs, as well 
as on the body. Some even powder their hair black, or else 



90 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

wear huge wigs of heathen days, and crowns of scarlet parrots' 
feathers. 

Most have their faces painted with every variety of colour, in 
stripes, circles, and spots. Some are all scarlet, with black spec- 
tacles, or vice versa; some, of a very gaudy turn of mind, half 
blue and half scarlet. Some are painted half plain and half 
spotted, or striped like clowns. In short, fancy has free scope in 
devising grotesque patterns of every sort. Many are entirely 
blackened down to the waist, or perhaps have one side of the face 
and one shoulder dyed dark-red; but -the commonest and ugliest 
freak of all is to paint only the nose bright scarlet, and the rest of 
the face dead black, and very hideous is the result. 

The paint-box on these occasions is simple : red ochre supplies 
one shade, and the seeds of the vermilion-tree, so dull in the pod, 
but so brilliant when crushed, supply another. The nearest wood- 
fire yields black in abundance; while a dark- brown fungus is 
found on the bark of certain trees, and finds immense favour with 
many who cannot understand how infinitely more beautiful is the 
rich brown of their own silky skin, with its gloss of cocoa-nut oil. 
The gaudy blue is a recent addition to their stock — from English 
laundries ; and an unusually vivid scarlet likewise tells occasion- 
ally of dealings with British traders. 1 

On great festivals the family jewels are all displayed. They 
consist of necklaces of whales' teeth rudely fastened together with 
sinnet, or else most carefully cut into long curved strips like 
miniature tusks, highly polished, and strung together in the form 
of a great collar, which is worn with the curved points turning 
outwards like a frill. The average length of each tooth is about 
six inches ; but some necklaces, which are treasured as heirlooms, 
are nearly double this size, and all the teeth are beautifully regular. 
Their effect when worn by a chief in full dress is singularly pic- 
turesque, though scarcely so becoming as the large curved boar's 
tooth, which sometimes forms an almost double circle, and is worn 
suspended from the neck, the white ivory gleaming against the 
rich brown skin. 

1 I think the most incongruous instance that has come under our notice of this 
adoption of certain English goods, was when a lar_ r e number of the wild heathen 
mountaineers assembled to meet the Governor — many of them atoning for lack of 
raiment by the care bestowed on their mass of hair dressed in upright spiral curls, 
which makes the head resemble a gigantic mop. Of course during the interview 
thev remained bareheaded (as essential a mark of respect in Fiji as is a huge tur- 
ban in India). But when they subsequently replaced the accu-tomed veil of thin 
gauze-like ta/>pa, they proceeded to tie it up with red tape, little dreaming what 
visions of dull routine were therewith connected in the minds of the white 
strangers. 



ORNAMENTS. 91 

The most artistic and uncommon ornament of a Fijian chief is 
a breast-plate from six to ten inches in diameter, made of polished 
whale's tooth, sliced and inlaid with pearly shell, all most beauti- 
fully joined together. These, like all native work, whether wood- 
carving or ivory, not only claim admiration, but fill me with 
wonder at the patient ingenuity which could possibly produce such 
results with the tools hitherto possessed by these people, to whom 
metals were unknown, whose axes and hatchets were made of 
smooth and beautifully polished greenstone (precisely similar to 
the celts of our forefathers, and how they made these is to me 
incomprehensible). I have bought several tied with coarse sinnet 
to a rude handle of wood cut in the form of a bent knee. When 
the stone axe had accomplished the first rough shaping of the 
form required, a skilfully used fire-stick next came into use, and 
then a lump of mushroom coral, or a piece of the rough skin of 
the sting-ray, stretched on wood, acted as a rasp or file. A fine 
polish was attained by patient friction with pumice-stone and 
cocoa-nut oil. The only other tools of the Fijian workman con- 
sisted of broken shells, the teeth of rats and fishes, or the sharp 
spines of the echini, set in hard wood. Yet with these rude 
implements these untutored savages (if so we should call them) 
produced forms so artistic, and carving so elaborate and graceful, 
as must excite the keen admiration of all lovers of art. 

But alas for the vulgarising influence of contact with white men ! 
Already the majority of the islanders have sold their own admirable 
ornaments, and wear instead trashy English necklaces, with perhaps 
a circular tin looking-glass attached, or an old cotton-reel in the ear 
instead of a rudely carved ear-ring^ In the more frequented dis- 
tricts this lamentable change thrusts itself more forcibly on the 
attention, as almost all the fine old clubs and beautifully carved 
spears have been bought up, and miserable sticks and nondescript 
articles — including old European battle-axes — take their place. 

Here in the mountains each company carried spears, clubs, or 
fans, all of which played their part in the various dances — most of 
which are so old, that the meaning of the songs and pantomime are 
alike forgotten by the actors. In one long piece of by-play all the 
men of the village appeared dressed alike, their heads being plas- 
tered with lime, looking just like powdered footmen (only that they 
were brown and naked to the waist). It was so very solemn that 
we thought some terrible tragedy was being recounted ; but we 
were told it was only a story about an empty basket ! 

In one very odd dance, a queer, fluttering creature, with a huge 



92 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

fan in each hand to represent wings, kept dancing round and round 
a covey of cowering children, whom he bowled over, two at a time. 
Then, as they lay prone, he fanned them to life again, and so drove 
them along to join the orchestra. This is supposed to be a bird of 
prey providing for her young, and of a species unknown in Fiji ! 

Somewhat similar is a dance in which half the men are armed 
with spears, the other half carry large fans of palm-leaf, or of native 
cloth stretched on a wooden frame, and adorned with blue and 
white streamers. At the end of each movement every dancer holds 
his fan high above his head with simultaneous action, uttering a 
wild, high-pitched war-cry. After an intricate dance, in which ex- 
traordinary feats of agility are displayed, these two companies form 
into separate lines and have a sham tight. Again and again the 
whole regiment of spearmen fall flat on the ground, as if all slain 
simultaneously, and the others, bending over them, fan them assid- 
uously till life is restored, and they once more spring to their feet. 
This is a particularly pretty dance : no carefully studied ballet 
could be more effective. 

Another, which is particularly characteristic, is a club-dance, in 
which half the men present are armed with war-clubs of very varied 
and curious forms, while the others carry long and beautifully 
carved spears. Sometimes each man carries a spear in one hand 
and a club in the other ; and often, I regret to say, a number of 
common muskets replace the old clubs, and look strangely out 
of keeping with the barbaric surroundings. On festivals such as 
these, many of the clubs are as carefully decorated as their owners. 
Coloured strips of pandanus leaf or fibre-plaiting are wound around 
them, adorned with fringe -like tufts; some are rather coarsely 
touched up with scarlet or blue paint, which happily soon rubs off. 
These war-parties always advance slowly, attitudinising and swing- 
ing from side to side. Gradually they become more animated, 
brandish their spears and clubs, go through all manner of evolu- 
tions, keeping such perfect time that each line of warriors seems to 
move like one man — every hand and foot moving in unison. The 
speed and action go on increasing till each individual dancer seems 
to be performing the closing movements of a Highland fling or a 
sailor's hornpipe, but with far more varied postures. At some of 
the larger gatherings, from two to three hundred dancers will join 
in the rneJce, and as they are generally the picked men of the dis- 
trict, the scene is the more effective. In every dance there is a 
leader, who by word and example regulates the time for every 
change in the figures. This post of honour is often awarded to a 



MEKES. 93 

very small boy, son of the chief ; and yon cannot think how pretty 
it is to see all these splendid fellows moving like clock-work in 
obedience to the slightest action of a tiny child, most quaintly 
dressed, and entering keenly into his duties. He begins in the 
most dramatic manner by delivering a shrill exhortation to his 
corps de ballet, and then leads them with perfect accuracy through 
every manoeuvre of advance, retreat, &c, &c. 

Each district has certain dances peculiar to itself, and the people 
of one neither can nor will join in the meke of another. Thus the 
people of aristocratic Bau positively sneered when asked whether 
they could not perform some of the dances of their neighbours at 
Eewa, which monopolises the most graceful meke of all — namely, 
one which represents the breaking of the waves on a coral-reef — a 
poetic idea admirably rendered. Years ago I remember the delight 
with which we hailed an exquisite statuette in Sir Noel Paton's 
studio, representing the curling of a wave, by a beautiful female 
figure, supposed to be floating thereon ; but I never dreamt that we 
should find the same idea so perfectly carried out by a race whom 
we have been wont to think of only as ruthless savages. 

The idea to be conveyed is that of the tide gradually rising on 
the reef, till at length there remains only a little coral isle, round 
which the angry breakers rage, flinging their white foam on every 
side. At first the dancers form in long lines and approach silently, 
to represent the quiet advance of the waves. After a while the 
lines break up into smaller companies, which advance with out- 
spread hands and bodies bent forward, to represent rippling wave- 
lets, the tiniest waves being represented by children. Quicker and 
quicker they come on, now advancing, now retreating, yet, like 
true waves, steadily progressing, and gradually closing on every 
side of the imaginary islet, round which they play or battle, after 
the manner of breakers, springing high in mid-air, and flinging their 
arms far above their heads to represent the action of spray. As 
they leap and toss their heads, the soft white masi or native cloth 
(which for greater effect they wear as a turban with long streamers, 
and also wind round the waist, thence it floats in long scarf-like 
ends) trembles and flutters in the breeze. The whole effect is most 
artistic, and the orchestra do their part by imitating the roar of the 
surf on the reef — a sound which to them has been a never-ceasing 
lullaby from the hour of their birth. 

Another meke peculiar to this district represents a flock of flying- 
foxes in act of robbing a garden of ripe bananas. Perhaps a couple 
of hundred foxes will assemble, to say nothing of a company of 



94 AT HOME IX FIJI. 

little foxes. A tree bearing the coveted fruit is fastened to a strong 
pole in the centre of the ground — and it says much for the native 
sense of humour that, instead of hanging up a bunch of real ban- 
anas, they must needs devise an artificial bunch, with a square gin- 
bottle filled with oil hanging from the tip, to represent the great 
purple blossom. In the first figure of the dance scouts are sent out 
to see that the coast is clear, and they flutter round the imaginary 
garden with outstretched arms, imitating the cry of the flying-fox. 
Soon the whole flock approach, chattering noisily over the prospects 
of the feast, circling and fluttering .round and round after the 
manner of all bats. Then one proceeds to climb the tree, and 
hangs himself up by the legs, head downwards, with outstretched 
arms, flapping his wings and crying just like a flying-fox. A second 
soon follows, and disputes his position. They squeal, and scratch, 
and bite one another, and a battle of the bats ensues, in which the 
first-comer is routed. After a while some one shoots the intruder, 
who falls helplessly from the tree. All this time the rest of the 
flock have been dancing and fluttering around, the peculiar move- 
ments of bats being admirably rendered, even to the rushing sound 
of wings, which is given by a jerk of the body, which causes all the 
liqiis to swing simultaneously ; and these being made of dried leaves 
of the pandanus or screw-pine, which are long and narrow as a 
grass, rustle on the slightest movement, and their combined noise 
produces a rushing sound, greatly resembling that of the black- 
Avinged army. 

As an illustration of a comic dance, I may mention a pantomime 
representing a pig-hunt. He is supposed to be concealed in the 
long grass, and the hunters, round whose necks hang large boars' 
tusks, very suggestive of danger from such a hidden foe, advance 
cautiously in search of him. At last he is found, captured alive, 
and dragged in triumph to the village, amid the acclamations of the 
spectators. 1 

1 Mr Maudslay told its of some very quaint metes sung by the children at Nandi. 
They were reciting their lesson in natural history, and related many novel facts 
wholly unknown to science, concerning birds and insects, whose cries and songs they 
imitated. They specially described the mosquito, by humming and buzzing, all in 
measured time, and with uniform action, clapping their arms, and leas, and bodies, 
as if smarting from bites. Then, as if irritated beyond endurance, they threw their 
arms wildly about, till in despair they ceased, as if nerved for endurance, and re- 
signed themselves to listen to the mosquito's songs, whereupon the mosquitoes 
applauded their patience, and shouted Vinaka ! Vinaka ! (good ! good !) The 
mosquito, it seems, is the only creature that truly mourns for man, for he can no 
longer drink his blood and sing sougs to him ; whereas other beasts rejoice over his 
death as that of a foe, more especially the ants, to whom his teeth are as precious 
as those of a whale are to a Fijian ! 



WEDDINGS. 95 

But on this particular occasion the representations were chiefly 
of such real warfare as that in which the dancers had so often been 
engaged, — the stealthy advance of scouts — the surprise, skirmish, 
and victory — dancers gradually working themselves up to a pitch 
of wildest excitement, and breaking forth into ear-piercing yells, in 
which the spectators did their part. This, and the painting and 
blackening of the warriors, produced an effect so truly diabolic, 
that it was hard to realise its being only a game. The meke had 
gone on for nearly seven hours, when darkness closing in, compelled 
the remaining towns to reserve their dances, and the presentation of 
their offerings, till the following morning. 

It occurred to us that there might very likely be some torch-light 
dancing in the village, so after supper we strolled thither, but 
scarcely saw a creature out of doors. But from within almost every 
house we passed came the voice of most fervent family prayer, tell- 
ing how the household and their guests were closing that day of 
much excitement. 

A man has just come up from Nakorovatu with the horrible 
news that a boy was killed there this morning by a shark, at the 
very spot where we embarked yesterday. The brute caught him 
by the leg, tore off the calf, and broke the bone. The shore was 
lined with spectators, but they could not help, and by the time that 
some men contrived to drag away the poor fellow he was so terribly 
injured that he died almost immediately. Several of our men 
bathed there yesterday, and we also occasionally bathe in the river 
when we can find no pleasanter or more secluded stream. But this 
really is most alarming, for we certainly thought ourselves safe 
from sharks at this distance from the sea — fully thirty miles. 
Lower down the river they are a fully recognised danger, and a 
man was recently carried off while bathing at Kundiokar, one of 
the villages where we halted, a few days ago. 

There is a perfect crowd of interesting young couples just com- 
ing in to be married, so I must watch the proceedings. The brides 
appear shy, and the bridegrooms bashful. I am sorry to observe 
that some of the brides are both ugly and old ! They do not wear 
such quantities of pretty white and brown cloth as the brides on 
the coast ; in fact, they wear exceedingly little of anything. Per- 
haps they were too poor to buy a trousseau. Anyhow, this is 
rather a dingy lot of weddings. Now good night. — Your loving 
sister. 



AT HOME IN FIJI. 



CHAPTEE XI 

CHRISTMAS IK GREAT FIJI — PIG FEASTS — WEDDINGS — FIJIAN NAMES — CAN- 
NIBAL DAINTIES — CHRISTMAS CHIMES — SNEEZING — " OUR FATHER" IN 
FIJIAN. 

(From a native Fijian house at Niruknrufaa, a moated town on the banks of the 
Wai Nimala, one of the many heads of the great river Rewa, the richest land 
in Viti Levu— i.e., Great Fiji.) 

"And strangely fell our Christmas Eve." 

Christmas Bay, 1875. 

Dear !Nell, — Do you remember the Christmas Eve at the 
Bridge of Allan, when we first quoted that line to one another 1 
when we had seen the last of the dear old home, and the newly- 
fallen snow lay on our father's grave, and we two looked down 
past that unfamiliar spire to the cold white world beyond, and 
wondered what might lie before us in the untried future 1 I have 
had some strange Christmases since then, but this is the strangest 
of all, as you would say could you only suddenly look in upon 
us. . . , 

Though the people are so very friendly, and in many respects 
very nice, still this is undoubted life among savages ; and after a 
while there is considerable sameness in halting at one village after 
another, taking up our quarters in its best house, which invariably 
consists only of one large room, the lower half of which is generally 
full of natives all day. Most of them clear out at night ; but gen 
erally at least once a-day — sometimes twice in one day — they bring 
us a feast, consisting of a pig roasted whole — a sucking-pig, or an 
old one, as the case may be — wrapped up in large plantain-leaves, 
many baskets of cooked yams and taros, and native puddings tied 
up in leaves. Boiled vegetables (sometimes fish and crawfish) are 
brought in and offered, again in the evening. 

Besides the regular feasts provided by each village, many of the 
marriage-parties send in offerings of food, as the parson's share of 
their feast, so we are in no danger of starving. Yet the people 
really are very poor, and, except on such festal occasions as these, 
live only on yams. But wherever we have halted — and sometimes 
several times in the course of a day—" a feast " has been brought 
for ug, — a procession of women carrying baskets full of cooked 
vegetables, purple or white yams, taro, and sweet potatoes, fowls 






CHRISTMAS IN GREAT FIJI. 97 

in cooking-pots, fish, crawfish, prawns, and native puddings made 
of banana, and grated cocoa-nut sweetened with sugar-cane, and 
served in a large banana -leaf. At some places large fresh -water 
mussels, greatly resembling those of our Scotch rivers, have been 
supplied, and proved excellent. When served at table they resemble 
poached eggs, and when their thick white skin is cut open they 
yield a delicacy suggestive rather of a French cuisine than of a 
Fijian hut. Where these abound they form an important article 
of food, as is shown by the piles of purple-lined shells which lie 
thickly strewn round the villages, and which made me wonder 
whether the pearl-yielding mussel of our Scotch rivers might not 
be found equally useful as an addition to the limited bill of fare of 
our own poor. 

Beef and mutton are luxuries which have only been introduced 
by white men for their own use, and are probably not to be found 
anywhere save in Levuka, the capital of the isles. But pigs were 
imported at an earlier period, and quickly found such favour with 
the people that they now roam at large in every village, and a feast 
of roast pork is to a Fijian the very crown of bliss. 

The highest honour, therefore, that can be shown to any guest, 
is to present him with a pig. sometimes full grown, sometimes an 
interesting suckling, but in any case roasted whole, which is accom- 
plished by filling him with red-hot stones, and baking him in a 
hole in the ground, lined with more hot stones and green leaves. 
Wrapped in this leafy covering, he is next placed on a carved wooden 
tray, and borne triumphantly to the house where the stranger is 
lodging, and there deposited, with all the other good things afore- 
said, on the mats near the furthest door, which naturally suffer a 
good deal in consequence. 

The feast is then formally presented, and as formally accepted, 
with set speeches and measured hand-clapping. The pig is then 
cut up, and the feast duly apportioned among all present, this dis- 
tribution being also made strictly according to rule; for in Fiji 
rigid etiquette rules every action of life, and the most trifling mis- 
take in such matters would cause as great dissatisfaction as a breach 
in the order of precedence at a European ceremonial. To apportion 
the pig's head to any save the principal person present would in- 
evitably result in that person leaving the house in high dudgeon ; 
and as chiefs of various villages may have arrived simultaneously 
to visit the new-comer, it is sometimes an embarrassing question 
how to satisfy the dignity of all. Happily in our case the feasts 
are generally divided by Johnny, the head boatman, who, being 

G 



98 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

himself a chief of this district, is well informed on all such matters. 
We are amusingly reminded of his nobility by hearing the clapping 
of hands, with which an admiring circle invariably proclaim the 
close of his meals. 

To-day, in honour of Christmas, this oft-recur] ing pig festival has 
been thrice repeated, and you can fancy how saturated with grease are 
the unfortunate mats near the door ! I have induced the owner of 
the wooden tray which did duty both on this day and on Christmas 
Eve, to sell it to me, and shall take it away as an interesting memorial 
of the strangest Christmas dinner which has yet fallen to my share. 

We had also a novel Christmas Eve, marked not by the bring- 
ing in of a cheery Yule log, but by multitudinous marriages ; for one 
result of the murrain of measles which desolated the isles a few 
months ago is that a matrimonial fever has set in. The widows 
and widowers, instructed by their chiefs, have interpreted some 
expressions of the great white chief as a recommendation to seek 
mutual consolation, and the infection spreads among all classes of 
the community, old and young. So it happened that on reaching 
this place, Mrukuruku, three days ago, we found no less than forty 
couples, belonging to this and the neighbouring villages, all waiting 
to be married on the arrival of the missionary, preferring his good 
offices to those of Aquilla, the native minister, just as a damsel 
nearer home might deem the knot more satisfactorily tied by her 
bishop than by the village curate. I cannot say, however, that 
these weddings gained much in pomp of ceremonial by the arrival 
of the great man ; for, knowing the amount of inquiry involved by 
each marriage, and how very slow a process this might prove, it 
was deemed necessary to begin at once, so as to dispose of as many 
as possible without loss of time. 

All belonging to the village were therefore invited to present 
themselves as soon as possible ; so, just as we had finished supper 
(sitting on our mats, and by the light of one dim candle, in a 
lantern) all the couples arrived. Being dark, and the call so sud- 
den, few of the women had thought it necessary to put on the 
short low-bodied article which acts the part of jacket, but were 
dressed just like the men, with only a short white ki;t (sulu they 
call it) ; and very difficult it was, in the dim light, to tell which 
were which, and to get them rightly paired, and arranged along 
one side of the room ; for, as a matter of course, the bashful couple 
arrive and depart separately, and would rather place themselves 
beside any one in the room than their own intended ! Altogether, 
it was a very curious scene. 



A CROWD OF WEDDINGS. 99 

Near us sat the native minister's wife and family, diligently 
sewing Christmas raiment, by the light of a wick and oil in an old 
sardine-box, with the coaxiest of large-eyed brown babies looking 
on admiringly. Beyond, a group of brown boatmen lay round the 
fire, which, as usual, blazed in a sunken corner of the floor — no 
chimney of course. Some houses have several such fireplaces, 
merely enclosed by logs of cocoa- palm ; and it certainly is a marvel 
that fires are not more frequent, especially as the candles, which are 
only bits of blazing bamboo, are carried about in the most careless 
way over the mats ; and these are laid over a deep layer of soft 
dry grass. 

When inquiry as to statistics began, it was found that a con- 
siderable number of the couples were old hands — that is to say, 
they were recent converts, who, having renounced polygamy, were 
about to settle down in sober double harness, instead of the four- 
in-hand (at the very least) of previous matrimonial arrangements. 
The age and extreme ugliness of some of these brides suggested 
great constancy in their lords, and greater attractions in the ladies 
than mere personal beauty. The discarded wives invariably seem 
in great demand, as under the old system of polygamy a large pro- 
portion of the men were doomed to involuntary celibacy; the 
emancipated women have therefore no difficulty in selecting new 
homes, wherein they may hold undivided sway — an honour which 
may perhaps scarcely prove a source of unmingled satisfaction, con- 
sidering the amount of hard work which falls to the lot of a Fijian 
wife, in fishing, and other necessary labour, which the lords of 
creation prefer generally to do by deputy, though he is accounted 
a sorry idler who sends his wife to dig in the distant yam-garden. 
The position of women in these isles has hitherto been as low, and 
their lot as hard, as in most other uncivilised lands ; but Christian 
teachers are now doing their utmost to raise them in the social 
scale, and with considerable success — their bright intelligent faces 
telling, in many instances, how readily they will do their own 
share in improving their condition when once such a possibility has 
dawned on their minds. 

Some of the brides and bridegrooms retained their old original 
names, which, literally translated, are characteristic; those of the 
women being such as Spray of the Coral-reef, Queen of Parrot's 
Land, Queen of Strangers, Smooth Water, Wife of the Morning 
Star, Paradise, Mother of her Grandchildren, Ten Whale's Teeth 
(i.e., very precious). 

Some were cruelly ill named from their birth. To any one who 



100 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

has suffered from the sting of a Fijian nettle such a name as Lady 
Nettle seems rather a cruel one to bestow on a little innocent. 
Nor can Waning Moon, Drinker of Blood, or Mother of Cock- 
roaches be considered flattering, though Mother of Pigeons sounds 
more kindly. Earthen Vessel is more complimentary than might 
at first sight appear, when we consider the preciousness of the 
water therein stored; while Waited for, Smooth Water, Sacred 
Cavern, One who Quiets, are all more or less pleasant. 

The men's names are equally fanciful. Such are The Stone 
God, Great Shark, Ead Earth, Bad Stranger, New Child, More 
Dead Man's Flesh, Abode of Treachery, Not Quite Cooked, Die 
out of Doors, Empty, Fire in the Bush, Spark of Fire, Day, Night, 
The Great Fowl, Quick as Lightning, Laggard, Imp, Eats like a 
God, King of Gluttony, 111 Cooked, Dead Man, Revenge, Carpen- 
ter, — and so ad infinitum. 

Where Christian names have been adopted at baptism they are 
almost invariably Scriptural names Fijianised, I had almost said 
Italianised. Such are Taivita for David, Lydiana or Litia for 
Lydia, Mirama for Miriam, Nabooco for Nebuchadnezzar, Setavenie 
for Stephen, Zacheusa, Bartolomeo, Luki, Joeli, Amosi, Clementi, 
Solomoni, Jacopi, Josephi, Isaia, and Epeli, the latter representing 
Abel. In short, in any large assemblage you could scarcely fail 
to find namesakes of all the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, with 
their mothers and wives, the Scriptures having been ransacked from 
beginning to end to afford sufficient variety. Some few modern 
names are heard, such as Alisi and Arietta, and occasionally the 
surname of some revered white man has been adopted, the prefix 
of Mr being especially insisted on ! 

The preliminary inquiries respecting the happy couples, and the 
difficulty of ascertaining whether parents and guardians had, in 
some cases, given the necessary consent, took up so much time, 
that at last, wearied with the day's journey, I could stand it no 
longer, but crept inside my tent (the old green plaid which has 
been the faithful companion of so many wanderings), and fell asleep 
to the sound of the old story, " Till death us do part," oft repeated 
in Fijian tongue. 

The giving of a ring forms no part of the wedding service — in- 
deed in this land of few personal ornaments even a tortoise-shell 
ring is a rare treasure. Plain circles cut out of pearly shell form 
bracelets for men, and equally common is a circle cut from a cocoa- 
nut and polished. The men also have a monopoly of the necklaces 
made of large whale's teeth, and handsome breast-plates of pearl- 



NIVOTHEENE. 101 

shell and ivory, beautifully inlaid and polished ; also of the large 
curly boar's tusks, which form so becoming a neck-ornament. 

The feminine jewel-case is far more limited. It probably con- 
sists of one pink shell, tied on with a plait of sinnet, and English 
beads (only very tiny beads, which can be plaited into the finest 
patterns, find favour here). Sometimes a piece of carved whale's 
tooth is worn as an ear-ring, or a string of dogs teeth as a neck- 
lace, — and this pretty nearly exhausts the catalogue. 

Not was the amount of raiment worn in heathen days oppressive. 
A thick fringe of coloured grass, or hybiscus fibre, from three to 
four inches in length, was the full dress of a young lady in the 
mountains, — indeed is so to this day among the tribes who have 
not yet adopted Christianity, or who, since the scourge of measles, 
have returned to heathenism. Most Christians, men and women 
alike, now wear a cloth reaching from the waist to the knee, and 
over this such decoration as fancy prompts — whether gay fringe 
of coloured grass, delicate creeping ferns, or bright golden croton- 
leaves, cunningly fastened so as to overlap one another, and form a 
close short petticoat, — and a very becoming dress it is, especially 
when worn by a group of pretty girls, perhaps standing beneath 
the shadow of a plantain-tree, or holding one of its broad leaves 
above their heads, to shield them from the burning rays of the 
sun, the rich tones of their brown figures standing out in strong 
relief against the vivid blue of the sky. 

How long the wedding ceremonials were protracted I cannot say ; 
but when I awoke the following morning I learnt that nineteen 
more couples were waiting their turn ; and again the slow process 
of inquiries had to be gone through, which occupied three hours. 
At eleven we started in the canoe, and floated down the river to 
Kivotheene, a very pretty moated village, tastefully laid out, with 
neat paths. It is a new village built on an old site, the young 
chief and his people of the JNathau tribe having returned to heathen- 
ism during the wars, when their old town was burnt by Thakom- 
bau's people, since which time they have lived twelve miles farther 
up the river for security. Now they have again embraced the lotu, 
and come down from the mountains. But the tribe with whom wo 
are now staying (at Nirukuruku) were formerly their bitter foes, 
and the under-current of distrust is still strong ; and from various 
indications, both Mr and Mrs Langham feel so far suspicious of 
possible danger that they have yielded to the strongly urged advice 
of the native minister, and have decided to give up our visit to the 
inland town, as being unsafe. It would be foolish to get clubbed 



102 AT HOME DT FIJI. 

in a savage fray. It was at no great distance from this place that 
the Eev. Thomas Baker and seven Christian natives were treacher- 
ously murdered by the heathen tribe of Ka-vosa in the year 1867 
(only eight years ago). They were all eaten. It is worthy of note 
that at least half-a-dozen different villages have pretended to be in 
possession of ]\Ir Baker's head — a case of multiplication of relics 
worthy of medieval days. The moat and ditch which enclose 
Xivotheene and so many other villages tell of the state of terrible 
insecurity of life and property in which these tribes have hitherto 
lived, but which, we would fain hope, -has now become r, story of 
the past. 

We lunched under a group of lovely trees, veiled with long trails 
of creepers, falling some thirty feet in wreaths of tender green, 
through which we looked down on the clear beautiful river, and to 
the mountains beyond. Afterwards we adjourned to the house of 
the young chief, and made friends with his pretty wife, whose 
bright intelligent smile almost made us forget the hideous fact that 
lines and curves of dark- blue tattooing did their utmost to destroy 
the beauty of her mouth. In some districts this disfiguring honour 
is the portion of every married woman; in others it is reserved for 
mothers. There is also some tattooing of the body ; but this, even 
in heathen undress, is invariably covered by the short liku, the 
four-inch deep fringe — and of course Christian usage discourages 
such painful adornment, which in the Fijian group has been always 
considered exclusively feminine. In the Tongan group, on the 
contrary, only the men indulge in it. 

As soon as our arrival became known, the villagers crowded in 
to inspect us, and to exchange sundry necklaces of whales' teeth 
and carved wooden bowls for fathoms of cloth and much-coveted 
big knives. I bought from the villanous-looking old priest a couple 
of large wooden spoons, or scoops, made purposely for human broth; 
and we also got sundry cannibal forks, of carved wood, with four 
long prongs, which Avere used exclusively for human flesh, this being 
the only meat which might not be touched with the fingers, because 
it was supposed to produce a skin disease. 

Wishing to ascertain the truth of an assertion sometimes made, 
to the effect that women were not allowed to share in these can- 
nibal feasts, we asked the young chief whether it was so. He 
denied it emphatically, adding, "I'd like to see the woman who 
would not eat her full share ! " We then asked whether the 
manner of preparing human flesh was not different from that in 
which pork, for instance, was cooked. He misunderstood the ques- 



. 



FIJIAN CEUELTY. 103 

tion, and answered, " Oh ! there's no comparison between them — 
human flesh is so much the best ! " Doubtless he has had good 
experience, having from his childhood been engaged in tribal wars, 
which afforded a rarely failing supply of dead foes. On every side 
of us fierce battles have been fought ; and on a hill at the head of 
the valley stands Balavu, "the long town," which, in 1871, was 
surprised by neighbouring tribes, who therein slew and ate 260 
persons ! When they had finished eating them all they proceeded 
to eat the pigs ! 

No less than three of our boatmen have lost their parents in 
these wars, and pointed out to us the spots where they had respec- 
tively been clubbed ; one also pointed out the grave beside which 
(only two or three years ago) he had watched for ten nights and 
days, to be sure that his father's body was not dug up and eaten. 
Even then it was scarcely secure, as bodies have been dug up after 
twelve days, at which stage (in the tropics !),' as they could not be 
lifted whole, they were made into puddings ! One favourite phase 
of cold-blooded revenge and insult was to collect the bones of bodies 
thus eaten and reduce them to powder. Then, when peace was 
restored, and the tribes next feasted together, this nice ingredient 
was added to some favourite pudding. Afterwards, should war 
again break out, it was the height of triumph to taunt the late 
guests with having eaten the dishonoured bones of their kindred. 
Yet the people who could plan and execute such deeds as these 
were so punctilious in some respects that it would have been con- 
sidered the grossest breach of Fijian etiquette to take an enemy 
unawares : even in the case of a besieged town, formal notice must 
be sent to the foe that an assault was about to be made ; it might 
then be delayed for many days, but the intimation must be sent, 
that the foe might be on their guard. Nevertheless tales of gross 
treachery prove that this chivalrous law was not always carried out. 

Another hideous act of revenge — one among many — was per- 
petrated near this spot. A chief had one daughter, of rare beauty, 
whom he loved dearly. The foes who could not conquer him in 
battle contrived to waylay her, as she came down to the river to 
fish. They carried her back to their village in the mountains, and 
there made a great feast of her dainty flesh, giving part of it to the 
pigs, as the grossest insult they could invent. Then her bones were 
scattered before the doors of the houses, that all comers might con- 
stantly walk over them and spit upon them. 

Is it not hard to realise that such deeds as these can so recently 
have been committed by the gentle friendly people among whom 



104 AT HOME EN" FIJI. 

we now travel so safely, and whose child -like earnestness and 
devotion to the new religion of peace and love is so striking? 

Nothing is to me more difficult than to reconcile this mixture of 
utter heartlessness and indifference to the anguish of others, with 
the high-bred refined courtesy which seems so perfectly natural, 
not only to the chiefs, but to all these people. I can only account 
for it by considering how many British children have delighted in 
pulling off flies' legs and wings, who, nevertheless, when they at- 
tained years of discretion, have turned out excellent members of 
the Humane Society. But then these. people have always hitherto 
possessed both characteristics simultaneously, and it is only since 
they have become Christian that they have ceased to be cruel. 

Horrible as these stories are, they are mere trifles compared with 
many which are known to be facts, but which are utterly tales of 
the past wherever the lotu has spread. I am sure that in all 
England you have had no congregation more devout than that 
which assembled here at dawn this morning. 

We returned from Nivotheene late yesterday evening in a 
drizzling rain, and found a great company waiting to present a 
roast pig in a large wooden dish ; and another party had brought 
us puddings all the way from JSundiokar. So we spent Christmas 
Eve feasting ! 

This morning — Christmas Day — the village was early astir, and 
soon after six the beating of the lalis summoned us to morning 
service. The lalis are the Fijian substitute for bells : a solid block 
of wood, six or eight feet in length, is hollowed out, like a canoe, 
and when struck with two sticks produces a deep reverberating 
tone, which is heard at an immense distance. Most villages have 
two of these lying side by side, and when struck by skilful players 
they are capable of producing an immense variety of notes. So yon 
see we had Christmas chimes even in Fiji. 

The church was large, but not large enough for the congregation 
and the doors were, as usual in this district, so low that I had to 
stoop double to enter. With no window overhead the atmosphere 
may be imagined, though something has been done in the way of 
a simple system of ventilation, by passing a number of hollow 
bamboos through the roof, of course at such an angle as not to 
let rain enter. Unfortunately the whole congregation seemed 
afflicted with severe coughs and colds, and as yet it has not 
occurred to any charitable people at home to send out a ship- 
load of pocket-handkerchiefs for the poor Fijians. I heartily 
wished on this occasion that some one had done so. 



GREETINGS. 105 

In these mountain districts the intense heat of the day is often 
succeeded at night by the rising of a dense mist, which lies in the 
valleys like a quiet lake, and steals into the houses, chilling the 
sleepers, few of whom own any warm covering to counteract the 
sudden change of temperature, which, consequently, is very trying 
indeed; and coughs and snuffles are almost as common as in a 
British community. 

I observe that the act of sneezing here, as in most other lands, 
calls forth a kindly greeting. Here the familiar " Viva," or " Bless 
you," takes the form of Mbula ! " May you live ! " or " Health to 
you ! " to which the sneezer replies, Mole, " Thanks ; " in former 
days custom required him to add, " May you club some one ! " or 
" May your wife have twins ! " 1 

The ideas of distance, as described in miles, is vague indeed. 
Hearing of a native service to be held in a neighbouring valley, 
said to be only about two miles above the village where we had 
halted on the previous day, Mr Langham started after breakfast, 
intending to preach there. Knowing the valley to be of exceeding 
beauty, I purposed accompanying him, but some hints of the diffi- 
culty of the path happily made me change my purpose ; knowing 
full well the extreme fatigue of even a short walk on these steep 
hill-paths, slipping and sliding in deep clay, a task not to be lightly 
undertaken beneath a burning noonday sun. It was evening ere 
the walkers returned, having never reached the village at all ; for 
when, after two hours of hard exercise, crossing the stream thirteen 
times, and following a path so steep that it was suggestive of climb- 
ing up and down a well-soaped wall, they were told that they were 
about half-way, they deemed it well to give up the attempt, and so 
called a halt, resting awhile at a deserted village ere retracing the 
difficult way. 

From the hints Mr L. had received from some of the people, he 
deemed it advisable to carry a good revolver ; for he mistrusted 
the young chief, and was rather startled when the latter was sud- 
denly joined by four men carrying loaded muskets, and one with 
a heavy club, which seemed an unnecessary adjunct to attending a 
peaceful Christmas service. AYh ether there might have been real 
danger had they proceeded, it is impossible to say. As it was, no 
harm befell. 

In the course of the walk Mr Langham discovered that food was 
very scarce with these people, and that our friends of yesterday 

1 In Northern China I find the same greeting, " Ypaisuil" "May you live a 
thousand years ! " 



106 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

were sorely put to it for a Christmas dinner. Great "was their 
satisfaction on being invited to send a canoe to bring back a share 
of what had been presented to our party ; some of whom, however, 
could ill conceal their disgust at being called upon to resign so 
delicious a morsel as roast pig, to these hereditary foes. The 
practical working of the Christmas message of peace on earth and 
goodwill towards men, as exemplified by the privilege of feeding a 
hungering enemy, was one which they could not realise quite so 
quickly. Thus ends our Christmas Day in the heart of Viti Levu. 
And now it is high time to creep into my green plaid tent and 
sleep — so good night, and many a merry Christinas to you all ! 

This house is beautifully clean, and wonderfully comfortable 
considering all things. It is the home of Aquilla, the native 
minister, who has a very nice neat wife, and four pretty little girls, 
including the nicest baby I have seen in Fiji. This afternoon 
little Mary was my sole companion on a long walk over steep hills, 
following a narrow path through the tall reeds, till we came to the 
place of graves (ai mbulu mlmlu). We found a flat hill-top cleared, 
with the graves in the centre, overshadowed by one noble old tree. 
The view was magnificent. The Fijians invariably select a beauti- 
ful spot wherein to lay their dead, and also one difficult of access, 
and well concealed, pointing to the hideous dangers of cannibal 
days. 

I daresay you wonder if my dreams are not haunted by all the 
horrible stories I hear of those old days. Happily they are not ; i 
indeed the only thought that abides in my mind is of thankful 
wonder at a change which seems almost miraculous, so gentle and 
courteous are these people who, the last thing at night, and the 
first thing in the morning, slip quietly into the house, and kneel 
reverently while prayers are offered, invariably ending with the 
familiar blessing, which now falls on my ear as naturally as if 
uttered in our mother tongue: — 

" A loloma ni noda Turaga ko Jisu Karisito, kei na loloma ni 
Kalou ko Tamada, kei na veilomani ni Yalo Tabu me tiko vei keda 
kieega ogo ka tawa niudu. Emeni." 

" The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, 
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. 
Amen." 

You must not forget to sound an n before the letters d, g, and 
q, and an m before b — thus : nowda — -Turaraga — Tamawda — Yalo 
Tambu — kerada — orcgo — muwdu. 

Xow once more good night, and peaceful be your slumbers. 



LORDS PRAYER IN FIJIAN. 107 

P.S. — In case you wish, to say the Lord's Prayer in Fijian, here 
it is : — 

" Our Father. 

"Tama i keimami mai loma lagi, me vakavokovoko taki na 
yacamu, me yaco mai na nomu lewa, me caka na nomu veitalia e 
vura vura me vaka mai loma lagi. Solia mai vei keimami e na 
siga ogo nakakana e yaga vei keimami. 

" Kakua ni cudru vei keimami e na vuku ni neimami vala vala 
ca me vaka keimami sa sega ni cudru vei ira sa vala vala ca vei 
keimami. 

" Kakua ni kauti keimami ki na vere, ia mai na ca ga mo ni 
vaka bulai keimami ; ni sa nomu na lewa kei na kaukauwa kei na 
vakarokoroko e sega ni oti. Enieni." 

The foregoing version of the Lord's Prayer is that in general 
use. The version used by the Lotu Katolika — i.e., the Eoman 
Catholic Church — is as follows : — 

" Tama i keimami, ni sa tiko mai loma lagi, me tabu raki na 
yaca muni ; me yaco mai na nomuni lewa ; me ia na loma muni e 
vura vura me vaka mai loma lagi. 

"~Ni sclia mai kivei keimami edai dai na keimani kakana ni vei 
siga ; mo ni vaka le cale cava mai na neimamii vala vala ca me 
vaka keimami sa vaka le cale cava na nodra ko ira e rai vala vala 
ei kivei keimami ; ni kakua ni laivi keimami e nai vaka caba caba ; 
mo ni vaka bulai keimami mai na ca. Amene." 



CHAPTEE XIL 

QUITE ALONE IN A MOUNTAIN VILLAGE — RETURN TO REWA — BA8ALTIC 
PILLARS — REWA POTTERY — BAU-NEW YEAR'S EVE— KING THAKOMBAU 
AS AN ELDER OF THE WESLEYAN CHURCH — PRE-CHRISTIAN TIMES. 

Nakamerousi, Monday, Dec. 27. 

Dearest Nell, — I must begin a letter to you to-night, for the 
strangeness of the situation exceeds any I have yet happened on. 
I have left the Langhams at Nirukuruku, and am here quite by 
myself, very much at home in a Fijian hut, and surrounded by 
natives, most of whom were, till within the last two years, uncom- 



108 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

promising cannibals, and who, moreover, have never before beheld 
the face of a white woman ! 

The way it came about was this. When we were going up the 
river in hot haste, and with no time to loiter by the way, the 
village of Nakamerousi had attracted my especial admiration. It 
is perched on a steep bank, and looks right along a broad reach of 
the river to a beautiful mountain-range. Being anxious to secure 
a sketch from that point, it was agreed that I should take advan- 
tage of the return thither of Reuben, the native teacher, who, with 
the help of Joshua, one of the boatmen, accordingly paddled me 
down in a small canoe. Great was the astonishment of the vil- 
lagers, and still greater that of Eeuben's exceedingly fat wife, in 
whose house I am spending the night. We made great friends, 
though I could hardly utter a word of Fijian, and probably few of 
those around me had ever heard a word of English. 

As seen from outside, this house promised well, but on entering 
I perceived that the first effort of civilisation had not improved the 
ordinary home. For the teachers have been encouraged to show 
the advantages of a separate sleeping-room, by having a third of 
the house screened off with a reed partition, but so little do they 
appreciate the innovation that they generally convert tbe inner 
room into a store-room for yams or lumber. So it is in this case. 
However, the kind fat old lady resigned the post of honour for my 
benefit, and here I have hung up my plaid-curtain and mosquito- 
net, thereby greatly interesting a crowd of spectators, who had 
previously watched the wonderful process of consuming chocolate 
and biscuits. One kind woman has brought water in a bamboo, 
and therewith filled my big brass basin (the old companion of my 
happy tent- life in the Himalayas). 

Now a party of laughing brown children are holding up small 
torches of blazing bamboo, by the light of which I am writing ; 
but the illumination seems to me so likely to end in a general blaze 
that I will not be responsible for it. And so good night. The 
girls are greatly delighted with my hair -brushes, especially my 
tooth-brush. I shall have to keep jealous guard lest they experi- 
ment with it ! They themselves use wooden combs, sometimes 
ornamented with coloured string and beads. 

Really these falling sparks are too dangerous. Good night 
again. 






IN GREAT FIJI. 109 



Navotjnindbala, Dec. 28. 

Here we are back at the junction of the t wo streams, on which 
we have spent so strangely interesting a fortnight. Our voyage in 
the canoe is over, and we are once more on the main stream, at 
the point where we left the boat. 

I began this letter to you at beautiful ISTakamerousi. As soon 
as possible I disappeared within my shawl-tent, and then com- 
menced the family supper, followed by much smoking, in which 
the young ladies joined freely. At last I could stand it no longer, 
and begged them to desist, which they did forthwith with the 
utmost courtesy. A few minutes later all present joined in family 
prayers, then the house was cleared, and only Mrs Eeuben and her 
small boys remained with me. 

On the following morning I with much difficulty escaped from 
the infliction of a great feast which the kind villagers had prepared 
for me, by contriving to make them understand that they should 
reserve it for the mission party. The mountains were magnifi- 
cently clear, and I secured a satisfactory sketch ere the rest of the 
party arrived. Of course the people crowded round to inspect 
this new and extraordinary method of writing the mountains in 
many colours; but they were most courteous and quiet, and as 
usual my only cause of complaint was their vile habit of inces- 
santly spitting. From the first day that I commenced sketching 
in Fiji I discovered that here, as with most other semi-civilised 
races, white as well as coloured, the first sentence it was necessary 
to learn was a request to abstain from this noxious practice in my 
immediate neighbourhood ! 

lS r ow we are back in Eatu Eichard's nice tidy house, which 
to-day is like a botanical show ; for on the way up I gave some 
children small silver coins for bringing me fronds of a lovely fern 
with ripe seed (which I enclose for Eisa), and also for other 
curious plants ; so the whole population have been ransacking the 
bush, and have brought us many rare flowers. I never before saw 
so many in Fiji. But I fear the poor people are sorely dis- 
appointed that I do not want to buy them all. I have, however, 
just bought a very fine necklace of whale's teeth, which I hope 
to show you some day. "What a sensation it would make at a 
Northern Meeting Ball! 



110 AT HOME IN FIJI. 



Bav, New Year's Eve. 

[Nothing special occurred on onr return journey. We called at 
the houses of several white men, and received most cordial wel- 
come, and many cups of tea with milk, which after our long 
abstinence seemed true nectar. How strange it did seem once 
more to sit on chairs and at tables ! I fear I rather regret giving 
up mat-life ! 

We spent a pleasant day at Eewa with Mr and Mrs Webb, 
exchanging the news of the mountains ior that of the great outer 
world, and did not we enjoy a civilised breakfast ! 

Eewa is a large village of the invariable thatched houses, with 
an unusually fine thatched church, round which have been set up 
a series of rude stone pillars, some pentagonal, — which are sup- 
posed to have been brought from the basaltic cliffs at Khandavu, 
the outermost isle of the group. I noted a similar pillar among 
the ruins of the heathen temple at Bau ; and here, at Eewa, Mr 
Webb has happily replaced several which formerly surrounded a 
large barrow where three chiefs are buried, and which some ruth- 
less hand had overthrown. Mr Webb kindly took me all over 
the place, and showed me every point of interest. 

The town of Eewa consists of a cluster of villages, inhabited by 
various divisions of tribes, all subject to a central power. Each 
village is embosomed in luxuriant gardens of broad-leaved banana 
and tall sugar-cane, and we passed from one to another by tidy 
paths, bordered with ornamental shrubs, denoting unusual care. 

Here, as in our own land, the fisher town stands quite apart 
from the homes of the agricultural population, and intermarriage 
is equally rare. Thither we wended our way, in search of the 
curious pottery made by the very low caste women of the fisher 
tribe. We had not the luck to catch the potters at work, but 
from each little cottage specimens were brought to us, very varied 
in form, and of a greenish-red earthenware, glazed. Many of the 
forms are most artistic, the commonest consisting of a cluster of 
vases resembling a bunch of oranges, sometimes as many as six, 
all joined together by one handle. I grieve that their extreme 
fragility should allow so small a chance of many specimens reach- 
ing England in safety. However, I have ordered a good many to 
be made. I had the good fortune to secure several really old 
pieces in the mountains — finely shaped bowls and water-jars — and 
these have travelled so far without damage. 

In the afternoon we continued our voyage down one of the 



i 



BAU. HI 



many branches into which the river here divides, entering the sea 
by many mouths, which are in fact salt-water creeks, winding 
through the dense mangrove-forest. We called at Navouloa, the 
training college for native students, now in charge of Mr Water- 
house. 

Thence a few hours' sail brought us here to Bau, the native 
capital. It is a tiny island, lying close to the great isle of Viti 
Levu, with which indeed it is connected by a low neck of land, 
which is fordable at low tide. Small as it is, it holds a very im- 
portant place in the estimation of a Fijian, being the home of the 
great chief Thakombau and all his family, and of nobles before 
whom the tribes of other districts bow in humblest deference, and 
to whom they grant special privileges. Its chief takes precedence 
of all other chiefs ; and the mere fact of belonging to Bau gives 
a man a definite position. Moreover, the language of Bau is to 
the isles of Fiji as the Latin tongue is to the civilised world — the 
one language which all are bound to understand, however different 
may be that of each country. 

The town has great historic interest, but what with the ravages 
of fire and the pulling down of all the old temples (whose high- 
pitched roofs formerly gave some character to the town), it now 
j possesses no architectural features whatever — the house of Thak- 
;j ombau, the ex-king (or, as he prefers to be called by his hereditary 
J title, the Vuni Yalu, or Koot of War), being as simple a thatched 
-I cottage as any other round the beach. So this regal town consists 
• only of a cluster of cottages on the water-level, overshadowed by 
S several large trees. Each member of the royal family has his or 
:| her own house. There is the king's house and the queen's house, 
the king's kitchen (which I think is rather larger than either), and 
the homes of their sons. 

The mission-station at Bau occupies the flat summit of the 

green hill which composes the island, and is a good illustration of 

how differently men estimate things. According to our views it 

is by far the best site on the island, but the missionaries were only 

allowed to build there because no native cared to leave the water- 

j level, and the summit of the hillock was the receptacle for all the 

I rubbish and filth of the town, and was, consequently, so undesir- 

| able a place of residence, that only the policy of securing a footing 

in the actual capital induced the mission to accept this site. But 

it was Hobson's choice, — that or none. 

It must have been indeed a hateful home in those days, when 
you could not look down from the windows to the town below 



112 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

without witnessing scenes of unspeakable horror, the very thought 
of which is appalling; when the soil was saturated with blood, 
and the ovens were never cool, by reason of the multitude of 
human victims continually brought to replenish them. 

Now the site of the ovens is marked only by greener grass ; but 
an old tree close by is covered, branch and stem, with notches, 
each one of which is the record of some poor wretch whose skull 
was dashed against a stone at the temple, the foundations of which 
are still to be seen a few steps further on. The tree is the sole 
survivor of a sacred grove, which, like that at Rewa, was cut down 
on account of the superstitious reverence in which it was held, and 
the dark memories attaching to it. Beside it is the well, where 
the bodies were brought to be washed, just below the mission 
wicket. 

Here, too, are the great wooden drums, which in those evil days 
only sounded a doom of death, or summoned the people to some 
scene of horrible revelry, but which now beat only to call them to 
Christian worship, or to summon them to school; and near the 
drums and the ovens the walls of a stone church are slowly 
rising. 

Very different, too, is the scene on the hill-top, where roses and 
jessamines now perfume the air around a pleasant home — while on 
one side cluster the mission buildings, where the students are fed 
and taught ; and beautiful is the panorama of sea and isles which 
lies outstretched on two sides of the horizon, while on the other 
lie the near shores and distant mountains of Yiti Levu. 

Great was the excitement of the juvenile population of this tiny 
isle when we arrived late last night, and each little urchin was 
trusted to carry some of our quaint treasures up the hill, and ; 
deposit them in the verandah, which really looked very much 
like a timber-yard when we looked out next morning S Such an 
omnium gatherum of wooden pillows and clubs, spears and bowls, 
wooden trays and sticks, to say nothing of sundry pieces of pot- 
tery, and a pile of savage finery ! 

The first to welcome us on landing was the native minister, 
Joeli Mbulu, a fine old Tongan chief. His features are beautiful, 
his colour clear olive, and he has grey hair and a long silky grey - 
beard. He is just my ideal of what Abraham must have been, \ 
and would be worth a fortune to an artist as a patriarchal study. 

All the people are preparing for their New Year feast to-morrow, , 
and have been all day coming up in crowds to consult Mrs Lang- 
ham about their clothes and other matters. 



THAKOMBAU. 113 

10 p.m. — I must write a few words just to prove that I am 
thinking of you all on this last night of the old year. You are 
just about finishing breakfast. We are just starting for the mid- 
night service, which on this night (Watch-night the Wesleyans 
call it) is held in every church all over these isles. I shall wish 
you a glad New Year at the right moment. 

First Sunday in 1876. — I left off to go to the midnight service. 
It was a very impressive scene, though the church having recently 
been blown down in a hurricane, and the large house for strangers 
which was next used having been burnt in a recent fire and the 
new one not being finished, the congregation have to meet in two 
smaller buildings. 

Churches here are just like the houses on a very large scale. 
They are on a raised foundation of stones for drainage, and are all 
built of trees and reeds, with high roof, thatched, and walls thickly 
coated outside with dry leaves. Of course they burn very readily. 
The pillars and rafters are often decorated with beautiful patterns 
in sinnet-work — that is, coloured string made of cocoa-nut fibre 
woven into elaborate patterns. 

On New Year's Eve the churches are beautifully decorated with 
green leaves; and exquisitely made wreaths and necklaces of 
berries, alternating with bunches of tiny leaves and flowers, hang 
all about the lamps. They are very pretty, but of oppressive 
scent. At the midnight service two of the native teachers crave 

o o 

short addresses, and as the clock struck twelve there was a short 
interval for silent prayer. Then the Yuni Yalu, the fine old 
ex-king, prayed, as a beginning of the New Year. They tell me 
his prayers are generally very striking and very touching. 

After service we all stood for a while in the bright starlight, 
exchanging New Year greetings, while the children indulged in 
noisily beating the lalis, the big wooden drums, and (alas for 
British importations !) rattling old tin cases ! and so making night 
hideous. This New Year festival is an anniversary of purely 
English origin, the native method of marking seasons being simply 
by the yam crops. 

Thakombau is a very fine old man, stately and chief-like in his 
bearing, and with clear, penetrating eyes. It certainly was strange 
to hear the first words of prayer uttered in the New Year flowing 
from his lips, concerning whose youth and manhood we had heard 
such appalling tales — tales, moreover, which we knew to be un- 
doubtedly true, beginning with that early feat of his childhood, 

H 



114 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

when at the tender age of six, the young Seru, as he was then 
called, clubbed his first victim, a boy somewhat his senior. 

The first fifty years of his life were passed in wars and fightings, 
and disgraced by unspeakable barbarities, including the strangling 
of his father's five wives, after the death of that, old miscreant. 
But while still a determined heathen, he was not altogether un- 
friendly to the missionaries, whose remonstrances he would often 
endure, while rejecting their counsels. Their teaching was strongly 
supported by his wife, Andi Lytia, and his daughter Andi Arietta 
Kuilla (Lady Harriet Flag). The latter is a woman of masculine 
intellect, who rules her own district splendidly, and is the king's 
best adviser. Like many another, however, Thakombau turned a 
deaf ear to all their arguments so long as his way was prosperous. 
It was not till 1854, when one tribe after another had thrown off 
his yoke, and his fame as a warrior was dimmed, that he began to 
lose faith in his own gods, and to listen with a more favourable 
ear to the counsels of the Christian King George of Tonga, who 
sent him a letter urging him also to become a worshipper of the 
Saviour. 

Like King David of old, in his heaviness of heart he thought 
upon God, and determined to join the lotu ; and on the 30th of 
April he gave orders that the great drums (which ten days previ- 
ously had been beaten to call the people to the temples for a great 
cannibal feast) should now sound to summon them to assemble in 
the great strangers' house to worship the true God. About three 
hundred there met, and the Vuni Yalu, with all his wives, children, 
and other relatives, knelt together in solemn adoration of the 
Christian's God. Mr Calvert and Mr Waterhouse conducted the 
service. This was a day for which they had long worked and 
prayed, hoping against hope — a day ever to be remembered as one 
of the most important in the annals of Fiji. 

But the outward state of matters was very unsatisfactory. 
Thakombau's implacable foe, the chief of Eewa, had acquired 
great power, and announced his intention of utterly destroying Bau 
and its king and people, whom he would soon eat ; and proclaimed 
that he defied their new God Jehovah to save them. At the same 
time he had the courtesy to send a message to Mr Waterhouse to 
beg him and his family to leave the town before he set it on fire. 
At such a time it certainly needed both faith and courage to stick 
to his post, but both Mr Waterhouse and his devoted wife deter- 
mined to hold their ground, greatly to the satisfaction of the king. 
Then followed a period of dire anxiety. There were fears within 



THAKOMBAU'S CONVERSION. 115 

the isle, and fightings without — fears of treachery from hostile 
tribes living even on the little isle itself. 

But at the darkest hour came deliverance. The King of Rewa 
died of dysentery. His chiefs received Thakombau's overtures of 
peace favourably. King George of Tonga came to Fiji, and some- 
how, unintentionally, drifted into the general war and helped to 
bring it to a speedy end. Seventy towns returned to their allegi- 
ance to Bau, and great was the wonder excited by the king's clem- 
ency ; his whole aim being to secure a lasting peace, and to induce 
all concerned to attend to the cultivation of the land and the in- 
terests of trade. 

All this time he had been carefully studying the doctrines of the 
faith he professed; but in his case, as in many others, it was 
deemed desirable to defer his baptism for a considerable period, 
till his instructors were convinced of his being thoroughly in 
earnest. It is a point on which the mission has always insisted 
strongly, that every convert should continue for a long period on 
probation, and receive careful individual training before being ad- 
mitted to baptism. It was not till January 1857 that, having 
dismissed all his wives except one, Thakombau was publicly mar- 
ried to Andi Lytia, and they were baptised together. 

From that moment he has taken no retrograde step. Always 
resolute in whatever line of conduct he adopted, he has shown him- 
self most truly so in the promotion of Christianity, and of every 
measure that promised to be for the good of his people. Deter- 
mined and energetic in his relations to other chiefs, he has of late 
years thrown all his influence on behalf of peace and order, and 
now professes himself well content with the subordinate position 
he has accepted, believing that he has thereby consulted the best 
interests of all his countrymen. 

His eldest son, Eatu Abel, cannot look so placidly on the resig- 
nation of his birthright, and holds himself somewhat aloof from 
the foreign rulers. His half-brothers, Eatu Timothy and Eatu 
Joe, are more cordial, and, moreover, talk very good English. 
They are fine handsome fellows, and inherit something of their 
father's stately carriage ; indeed all the chiefs are distinguishable 
from the common herd by their dignity and grace of movement, 
the lack of which among some of the commoners is due, doubtless, 
to the fact that no Fijian dare stand upright in the presence of a 
superior : if at rest he must crouch before him (in no case presum- 
ing to pass behind him), or if in motion, must either crawl on all- 
fours or walk bending lowly. Even Thakombau's own sons scarcely 



116 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

venture to stand upright before him. ^Naturally such a custom, 
continuing from generation to generation, becomes second nature. 

At early dawn on ]S T ew Year's morning I went out, the better to 
enjoy the loveliness of the scene, the soft balmy air, the dreamy 
beauty of the far-away isles, and the wondrous calm of the wide 
waters. I sat on a grassy hillock and watched the sun rise from 
the sea, reflected in dazzling light. Below me lay the peaceful 
village, where it seemed none were yet astir. 

I was leaning against a rude wooden pillar which marks the 
grave of Tanoa, Thakombau's aged father, who to the last con- 
tinued a vicious and obstinate cannibal. Nothing delighted him 
more than to return from tributary isles with the bodies of infants 
hanging from the yard-arms of his canoe, as tribute exacted from 
their parents ! Horrible beyond description are the stories of his 
brutalities. I may just tell you one as a sample of many. 

One of his near kinsmen had offended him, and knowing how 
little pity he had to expect, sought by every means in his power 
to mollify him, humbly imploring his forgiveness. But the fiend 
responded by cutting off his arm at the elbow, and drinking the 
warm blood as it flowed. Then he cooked the arm, and ate it in 
presence of the sufferer, who afterwards was cut to pieces, limb by 
limb, while the brutal chief sat watching and gloating over the 
dying agonies of the miserable victim. Afterwards he sentenced 
his own youngest son to death, and compelled an elder brother to 
club him. 

When the time of his own death drew near — I think it was in 
the year 1852 — he gave special injunctions that his wives should 
on no account fail to accompany him to the spirit-world. Two 
English missionaries — Mr Calvert and Mr "Watsford, who had for 
years vainly striven to convert this atrocious old heathen — now 
exerted their whole influence to try and persuade Thakombau to 
refrain from carrying out his father's wicked will These felt 
that success in this matter would be an earnest of wavering from 
heathendom on the part of the king. So Mr Calvert offered a 
princely gift of whale's teeth, and even to have his own finger 
cut off (Vaka Viti — i.e., Fiji fashion), if only the lives of the 
women might be spared ; but to no purpose. Mr Watsford offered 
twenty muskets, the mission whale-boat, and all his own personal 
property; but all in vain. Thakombau had just assumed the title 
of Tui Viti — King of Yiti — and felt that his dignity would suffer 
by the omission of any customary ceremony. It is the privilege of 
an eldest son first to strangle his own mother, and then to assist in 



! 



MISSIONARY HEROISM. 117 

performing the same kind office for the other widows. So the five 
ladies were dressed with all pomp, and placed the new cords round 
their necks as proudly as though they had been precious orna- 
ments; and Thakombau himself assisted the men whose office it 
was to strangle his mother and the four other women. Out of 
deference to the white men's prayer, he offered life to one victim ; 
but she refused it,— not from any love to her cruel lord, but simply 
because it was the custom of Fiji. 

So here they all lie side by side, on the green hillock overlook- 
ing the broad blue Pacific and the isles where the name of Tanoa 
was once so sorely dreaded. 

I turned back to the peaceful, pleasant mission -home, and 
lingered in the fragrant garden, looking across to Yiwa, where the 
early missionaries established themselves before gaining a footing 
in Bau. Brave women were the wives of those men ; and in many 
a scene of horror, and many a peril, did they prove themselves 
helps-meet for the men of earnest purpose whose lot they shared. 
I will give you one instance of the part they took here in those 
awful days — not remote days either ; for the story I will tell you 
happened just thirty years ago. 

A piratical tribe, called the Mbutoni, had brought a large offer- 
ing of their spoil as tribute to the old king, Tanoa. Custom re- 
quired that a feast of human flesh should be prepared for them, 
but the larder was empty, and no prisoners of war could be ob- 
tained. Under these circumstances, it was the duty of Ngavindi, 
the chief of the lasakau, or fishermen, to provide victims. Two 
young men were accordingly entrapped; but these not being 
deemed sufficient, the wary fisher went forth with his men. They 
ran their canoes among the mangrove-bushes, and covered either 
end with green boughs, and then lay in wait. Soon a company of 
fourteen women came down to fish. They were seized and bound, 
and carried off to Bau to furnish a feast for the morrow. News of 
this reached Viwa, where Mrs Calvert and Mrs Lyth were living 
alone with their children, their husbands having gone to teach on 
another island. They determined to make an attempt to save the 
lives of their luckless sisters ; so having induced a friendly native 
to take them across in his canoe, they started on their errand of 
mercy. As they neared the shore it was evident that the cannibals 
were in a state of frantic excitement : the death-drums were boom- 
ing, muskets firing, in token of rejoicing; and then piercing shrieks 
rose above the wild din, and told that the horrid butchery had began. 
It needed desperate courage for these two lone (and apparently 



118 AT HOME IN EIJI. 

unprotected) "women to land on the isle and face that blood- 
thirsty rabble. But with resolute courage and unfailing faith 
they pressed on. 

On the beach they were met by a Christian chief, who led them 
through the crowd to Tanoa's house, which it was death for any 
woman to enter. But unheeding their own safety, they forced 
their way in, with a whale's tooth in each hand, as the customary 
offering when making a petition. The old man was so amazed at 
their courage, that he commanded that .such as still lived should be 
spared ; and a messenger was despatched to see that the order was 
obeyed. Kine had already perished ; but five survived, and were 
set at liberty, blessing their brave deliverers, who, not satisfied with 
having gained their object so far, went straight to the house of 
Ngavindi, the chief butcher, who was sitting in full dress, rejoicing 
in his work. They spoke to him earnestly on the subject, and had 
the satisfaction of seeing that his chief wife and that of Thakombau 
cordially seconded their words. A few days later, H.M.S. Havan- 
nah touched the isles, and Captain Erskine went to Viwa to call 
at the mission. They had just sat down to tea, and he had just 
been delicately hinting his belief that many of the missionary 
stories about these, nice well-conducted people were grossly exag- 
gerated, when l!N"gavindi came in to ask Mrs Lyth about the great 
English ship. He was most kindly received, and took his place 
at table with perfect ease. Captain Erskine described him as a 
very handsome, prepossessing young fellow, of modest and gentle 
manners. He could scarcely believe that he had just been chief 
actor in this horrid business. ISTot long after this, Ngavindi was 
slain in battle, when attempting to carry off a dead body. One of 
his wives was sister to Thakombau, whose duty it now was to 
strangle her ; but the tribe petitioned that her life might be spared, 
that her unborn child might become their chief. So the old mother 
offered herself as a substitute, and the king strangled her with his 
own hand — a hand which had already cut off the nose of one sister, 
as a punishment for being unfaithful to her husband. 1 So Nga- 

1 These are tales of the past. We must now look nearer home to find such bar- 
barity. In the long series of atrocities which, within the last few months, have dis- 
tressed Ireland (the shooting of landlords and burning of property), one incident 
has forcibly reminded me of pre-Christian flays in Fiji, when a poor fellow having 
been put in charge of a house from which the tenant had been evicted, five or six 
men in masks entered the house, seized him and nailed him to the door by his ears, 
which they then cut off. And among the trifling incidents of daily life, we hear of 
ladies and clergymen being pelted with large stones, and pursued for long dis- 
tances, solely for having ventured to examine the Protestant schools. Whether do 
you consider Ireland or Fiji the safer place of residence in this year of grace 1880 ? 



FORMER BARBARITIES. 119 

vindi lay in state on a raised platform, with one dead wife at his 
side, and the corpse of his mother at his feet, and an attendant 
close by ; and all were laid together in one grave. 

The day after Captain Erskine had made acquaintance with the 
gentle, courteous Ngavindi, he came to Bau, where he saw the 
bloody stone on which the heads of multitudes of victims had been 
dashed, when presented to the god at the chief temple. The 
Mbutoni guests were still in the stranger's house, and to prove how 
well they had been received, they pointed out four or five large 
ovens in which the nine women had been cooked ; and also the 
spot where a few months previously, after the capture of Lokia, a 
town belonging to Eewa, eighty corpses of those slain in battle had 
been heaped up, previous to being apportioned to the greedy warriors. 

But in a greater or less degree this was the ever-recurring story, 
and the days of joy and rejoicing for men, women, and little 
children, were those on which canoes arrived bringing bo7cola, 
which were thrown into the sea and ignominiously dragged ashore 
t with shouts of joy, and made the occasion for wild orgies and mad 
dances of death. 

It was only people who had been killed that were considered 
good for food. Those who died a natural death were never eaten, 
— invariably buried. But it certainly is a wonder that the isles 
were not altogether depopulated, owing to the number who were 
killed. Thus in Namena, in the year 1851, fifty bodies were 
cooked for one feast. And when the men of Bau were at war with 
Verata, they carried off 260 bodies, seventeen of which were piled 
on a canoe and sent to Eewa, where they were received with wild 
joy, dragged about the town, and subjected to every species of 
indignity ere they finally reached the ovens. Then, too, just think 
of the number of lives sacrificed in a country where infanticide 
was a recognised institution, and where widows were strangled as a 
matter of course ! Why, on one occasion, when there had been a 
horrible massacre of Namena people at Viwa, and upwards of one 
hundred fishermen had been murdered find their bodies carried as 
bokola to the ovens at Bau, no less than eighty women were 
strangled to do honour to the dead, and the corpses lay strewn in 
every direction round the mission station ! It is just thirty years 
since the Be v. John Watsford, writing from here, describes how 
twenty- eight victims had been seized in one day while fishing. 
They were brought here alive, and only stunned when they were 
put into the ovens. Some of the miserable creatures attempted 
to escape from the scorching bed of red-hot stones, but only to be 



120 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

driven back and buried in that living tomb, whence they were 
taken a few hours later to feast their barbarous captors. He adds, 
that probably more human beings were eaten on this little isle of 
Bau than anywhere else in Fiji. It is very hard indeed to realise 
that the peaceful village on which I am now looking has really 
been the scene of such horrors as these, and that many of the 
gentle, kindly people round me have actually taken part in them. 

Before we had finished breakfast, we had a New Year's morning 
visit from the old king's daughter, Andi Arietta Kuilla, accom- 
panied by her beautiful youngest boy, little Timothy. She has 
two other children, Eatu Beny (Benjamin) and a little girl re- 
joicing in the name of Jane Emilia. We walked back with her 
to her father's house, at the foot of this hill, and found her mother, 
Andi Lytia, the old queen, suffering from a very severe cough. 
She was lying on her mats beside a central fireplace (i.e., a square 
hollow in the floor). She wore only a long waist-cloth, a style of 
dress which displayed her ample proportions to the utmost, and 
being so huge, she did strike one as being rather undraped ! But 
no one thinks anything about it, so I suppose it is only prejudice. 
Happily both these immense ladies are strikingly handsome, with 
massive features and clever heads, which have been proved to 
contain good brains. 

Their home, like those of their neighbours, is simply a large 
room strewn with mats, on which the family and their guests re- 
cline. The king's own house stands apart, but he reserves a corner 
here, which is shut off by a heavy curtain of native cloth ; and one 
uncomfortable-looking chair revealed his wish to conform to foreign 
customs. He thought it necessary to sit on this when I first 
entered the house, but soon sacrificed dignity to comfort, and re- 
clined on his mat, while his family squatted round him. 

A large number of lamps attracted my attention, as did also two 
neck-pillows, each formed of a joint of the largest bamboo I have 
ever seen, measuring 5 -J- inches in diameter. It had drifted ashore 
from some unknown isle, and been brought to the Yuni Yalu as a 
rare prize. It is certainly a curiosity, but not quite one's idea of 
a comfortable pillow for a weary head. A Fijian pillow, however, 
is merely a neck-rest \ the head still supports itself as it was taught 
to do in those days of the elaborate hair-dressing, on which the 
chiefs prided themselves so greatly that each considered it neces- 
sary to have his especial barber, whose joy and delight it was to 
adorn the head of his master with curls and twists and plaits, 
more numerous and more wonderful than those of any other chief. 



FIJIAN MOURNING. 121 

It was strangely suggestive of a stormy past to hear the old king, 
who was eager for particulars of our expedition up the Rewa, con- 
stantly asking Mr Langham to explain exactly where the different 
towns were of which we spoke. Then I found that neither he nor 
liis daughter (whose own district is actually on the Rewa) had ever 
even heard of these towns ; while as to seeing them, no tribe ever 
saw anything beyond their own property unless they went as invaders 
in time of war. I showed Andi Kuilla sketches of places within a 
day's march of her own property, but she had never seen any of them. 

Another suggestive thought is awakened when, on shaking the 
hand so cordially offered by these comely ladies, we are conscious 
of the absence of at least one finger. By such sacrifice the women 
of Fiji (like those of Tahiti and Hawaii) have hitherto shown their 
mourning for the dead, or made their appeal to the gods to save 
the sick. So you rarely meet a woman above middle age who has 
not lost one or both her little fingers. The operation is performed 
with a sharp shell, with which the mourner saws the first joint 
till she cuts it off. On the next occasion of mourning, she sacri- 
fices the second joint. The little finger of the other hand supplies 
a third and fourth proof of sorrow. After this, the Fijian equiva- 
lent of wearing crape is to rub the poor mutilated stumps on rough 
stones till they bleed. 

I have been in sole possession of the house all the morning, every 
other creature being at church, notwithstanding a thermometer at 
about 90°, which decided my remaining on the hill-top in a fresher 
atmosphere than that of the crowded church. But I am going this 
afternoon to accompany Mr Langham, who holds service at a pretty 
village on the big isle, some way up a lovely river, so I may as well 
close this letter, ready for to-morrow's maiL 



CHAPTER XIIL 

A STRANGE VOLCANIC ISLE — JOELI MBTTLTT, A TONGAN APOSTLE — THE CONVER- 
SION OF THE PEOPLE OF ONO — THAKOMBAU's CANOE— A ROYAL GARDENER 
— A SMALL HURRICANE— EARLY PRAYERS — BREAKFAST ON THANGALEI — 
BETWEEN THE BREAKERS — AT HOME AT NASOVA. 

Nasova, January 14, 1876. 

Dearest Nell, — You see I have got safely home from my 
travels in the wilds, and I am bound to confess that there is a 



122 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

good deal to be said in favour of the comforts of civilisation, how- 
ever strongly my gipsy instincts do at times assert themselves ! I 
must tell you, however, of several delightful expeditions we made 
from Mrs Langham's charming home at Bau. The first was to the 
neighbouring isle of Yiwa, which was one of the early mission 
stations, and is now the home of Mr Lindsay, who has charge of a 
large district, extending to the mountains of Yiti Levu. It was a 
pretty picture to see his two very fair delicate little girls in charge 
of a little Fijian maiden scarcely bigger than themselves. After a 
very pleasant afternoon we returned home by clear moonlight — a 
lovely walk through the forest was followed by a calm row across 
the bay. But a very common difficulty awaited us on reaching 
the shore. The tide was low ; the boat lay far out, I think nearly 
a quarter of a mile, and the accepted way to reach it was to submit 
to be carried like monstrous dolls by one, sometimes by two, strong 
natives. However, nothing seems strange when you are used to it. 
It is only one's first experience of anything which is startling. 

The two families agreed to devote the next day to exploring two 
small islands, visible from both homes, but which, being unin- 
habited, had never yet invited nearer inspection. You know I 
always say it is my mission in life to stir up my friends in all 
corners of the globe to take me to see places of interest close to 
their own homes, but never before visited by themselves. So next 
morning we all met at the small isle of Tomberrua, which is an 
ancient place of buriaL Many old chiefs lie beneath the cocoa- 
palms, but their graves are all uncared for and overgrown. The 
lovely white sand tempted us to bathe in the warm sunny sea — 
a rare pleasure, for there are so few places tolerably safe from 
sharks. 

We then rowed to the other isle, Manbualau, which proved to 
be the most extraordinary specimen of volcanic formation I have 
ever seen ; all one vast honeycomb of hard cutting rock, with deep 
fissures intervening between ridges so close together that you can 
step from one to the other. The rock is veiled with rank vegeta- 
tion, which adds to the danger and difficulty of the scramble ; and 
innumerable bats haunt the great Mbaka trees (a sort of Fijian 
banyan), which overshadow the whole, their countless interlacing 
stems finding a holding-ground in every crevice of the rock. It 
is an exceedingly curious place, utterly unlike anything I know 
elsewhere. 

I walked across the isle to the other side with the gentlemen 
but it was difficult to make our way, and the smell of bats was 



TONGAN PIONEERS. * 123 

positively sickening; so we were glad to hurry back and join the 
rest of the party, who had kindled a lire and prepared a cheerful 
tea in our absence. 

The next few days slipped pleasantly by. I sketched various 
points of interest, such as the great Mbaka trees near the old king's 
house, the foundations of the great temple, and the stone on which 
the victims' heads were dashed (which is a basaltic pillar from 
Ivhandavu). 

I went several times with Mrs Langham to see the noble old 
Tongan minister, Joeli Mbulu, whose wife, Echesa, is very unwell ; 
such a nice, lady-like old woman, so kindly and so sensible. They 
belong to that fine race of Tongans who were, in fact, the earliest 
missionaries in these isles ; for so soon as they themselves had 
embraced the new faith (as preached by the Wesleyan teachers in 
the Friendly Isles) they endeavoured to spread it wherever they 
journeyed ; and as they had frequent intercourse with some parts 
of Fiji, it was not long before the Tongan sailors taught all they 
had learned to such of their own kinsmen as had already colonised 
here, and to such Fijians as could be induced to hear them. It 
was the moving tale of awful horrors told by these men, and the 
encouragement afforded by the sowing of that first seed, that 
induced the Rev. W. Cross and the Eev. David Cargill to leave 
the comparative comfort of their homes in Tonga to come and 
establish the mission in Fiji, where they landed in October 1835, 
at Lakemba, the principal island in a group at least 200 miles from 
here, where a considerable number of Tongans had already settled. 
These men proved invaluable helpers. Better pioneers could not 
have been desired. Men of strong energetic character and deter- 
mination, keenly intelligent, physically superior to the average 
Fijian, and therefore commanding their respect, they had always 
taken the lead wherever they went ; and as in their heathen days 
they had been foremost in reckless evil, they now threw their whole 
influence into the scale of good. Having an independent position 
of their own, and considerable power, they were able at once to 
establish all outward observances of religion, without fear of hin- 
drance from the chiefs. And so something of the nature of Chris- 
tianity was made known more rapidly and more widely than it 
could have been by any other means. Of course this is not 
literally true of all the Tongans in the colony. There were many 
who, although they professed the new faith, continued as proud 
and haughty as ever, making themselves hated and feared as of 
yore; but the majority proved themselves truly in earnest, and 



124 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

many "became most devoted teachers, ready to go forth to any dis- 
tant point where there might be a chance of doing good. 

Foremost amongst these was Joeli Mbulu, a man whose faith is 
evidently an intense reality. I have rarely met any man so per- 
fectly simple, or so unmistakably in earnest. He proved himself 
so thoroughly worthy of confidence that in due time he was 
ordained as a native minister, and sent to take charge of the remote 
cluster of isles, of which Ono is the principal. This little group 
lies about 150 miles south-east of Lakemba, to which it was 
tributary, and is the southernmost part of Fiji. The story of its 
early groping from its own deep darkness to the light, is so strange 
and touching, that I must tell you something about it. It was 
truly the story of 

•' An infant crying for the light, 
And with no language but a cry." 

In the year 1835, just before the first white missionaries came 
to Fiji, many events conspired to depress these poor people. An 
unusual number had been slain in their incessant wars, when an 
epidemic disease broke out which carried off many more. The 
survivors, much alarmed, thronged the temples of their gods, bring- 
ing large offerings of food, and such things as they possessed, and 
all rites of worship were diligently observed, but to no purpose. 

Just then a chief named Wai returned from Lakemba, where he 
had met a Fijian chief called Takei, who had been in the Friendly 
Islands, and had learnt something about Christianity. It amounted 
to little more than that there was but one God, whom all must 
serve continually, and that one day in seven was to be devoted to 
His worship. It was but a faint glimmer of light, but they de- 
termined to act on it. So on the sixth day they prepared their 
food for the seventh, on the morning of which they dressed, as for 
a festival, and assembled to worship this unknown God. But here 
a difficulty arose, as to how to set about it. In their dilemma they 
sent for the heathen priest, whose god they were now forsaking, 
and requested him to officiate for them. This he did, to the best 
of his power, offering a short and simple prayer for the blessing of 
the Christian's God, but intimating that he himself was merely 
spokesman for his neighbours, being himself a worshipper of another 
God! 

This was the first act of Christian worship in the far-away isle 
of Ono. A great longing now arose for fuller knowledge of tho 
truth ; so when a whaling ship chanced to touch here for provision*. 



THE CONVERSION OP ONO. 125 

on her way to Tonga, a passage was engaged on board of her for 
two men who were sent as messengers to ask for a teacher. But 
several months elapsed ere an answer could reach them, and mean- 
while Christianity was spreading at Lakemba, and many Tongan 
converts (whose chief attraction to Fiji had been the wildly licentious 
life which they might there lead without let or hindrance), now 
decided to return to their own homes. A canoe-load of these 
started from Lakemba in May 1836, but were driven by contrary 
winds to the isle of Yatoa (the Turtle), about fifty miles from Ono. 
Here they heard of what had happened there, and one of their 
number (who at his baptism had taken the name of Josiah, and 
who had acted as their chaplain during the voyage), determined to 
go to Ono and teach the people all he knew. Great was their joy 
at his coming, and day by day he thenceforth led their devotions. 
Soon they built a chapel, which would hold 100 persons. All this 
was done ere the messengers from Tonga returned to tell that white 
teachers had gone to Lakemba, and that to them they must apply 
for help. Another long delay. 

But meanwhile the desired teacher was being trained all un- 
known to them. One of their own islanders, a wild Ono lad, had 
contrived to wander all the way to Tonga, and you can fancy that 
several hundred miles in an open canoe is no easy journey, especi- 
ally when every isle to which you may unintentionally drift is 
inhabited by fierce cannibals of unfriendly tribes. An ordinary 
canoe is a very unsafe vessel in a storm, and in heathen days ship- 
wreck invariably meant death ; for even should the crew reach the 
land in safety, and find themselves on shores which, under ordinary 
circumstances, would be friendly, they were declared to have salt 
water in their eyes, and were doomed to death and the oven. But 
the lad in question reached Tonga in safety, and there he found 
the people earnestly conforming to the new faith. He attended 
their services, learnt much, and on returning to Lakemba became 
truly converted, and for several years lived a consistent Christian 
life, taking the name of Isaac Eavuata. He soon learnt to read 
and write well, and acquired so much knowledge that he became a 
useful assistant in the mission. When, therefore, the message 
from Ono reached Lakemba, it was evident that he was the right 
man for the work ; he was accordingly despatched, and gladly was 
he welcomed by his countrymen. He found that 120 persons had 
given up idolatry, and were thirsting for further knowledge of the 
Christian faith. 

The following year a Tongan teacher was sent to assist him ; by 



126 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

this time three chapels had been built, and so anxious were the con- 
verts for instruction, that the Christian crew of the canoe said they 
had scarcely been allowed needful sleep, so eager were the people 
to learn all that they possibly could teach them. They found 
that the little isle of Vatoa had also become lotu, and all these 
people prayed that they might be visited by a white missionary 
who might administer the sacraments. It seemed hard to refuse 
such a prayer, but labourers were few and the work was vast. Mr 
Calvert and his wife were left quite alone at Lakemba, where Tui 
Nayau, the king, and most of his chiefs and people, continued 
heathen, and often antagonistic. Fifteen years elapsed before the 
king determined to accept the lotu. As far as possible, Mr Calvert 
travelled about this group of twenty isles, teaching the people, and 
now this further claim on time and strength seemed beyond his 
power. It was a long and dangerous journey to undertake in a 
frail canoe, and involved an absence certainly of weeks, possibly of 
months ; and the thought of leaving his wife utterly alone in the 
midst of ferocious cannibals was altogether appalling. At this 
crisis it was she — a most gentle and loving woman — who came to 
his help, and urged him to go. Still there was the difficulty of 
getting a canoe sufficiently seaworthy for such a long and danger- 
ous voyage. However, not long afterwards, a Tongan chief came 
to Lakemba in a large canoe, and consented to take Mr Calvert to 
Ono. There he found that a wonderful and cheering work had 
been accomplished, and that a large proportion of the people were 
living genuine Christian lives, thoroughly blameless. Of these 
he baptised upwards of two hundred, and married sixty-six couples, 
and by his encouragement and presence greatly cheered the little 
body of converts. It was not to be supposed that this movement 
had progressed without serious opposition from many of the heathen 
inhabitants, and many events occurred at this time, stranger than 
any fiction. 

Amongst other incidents, there was the baptism of Tovo, the 
beautiful daughter of the chief of Ono. She had become a de- 
voted Christian, and delighted in doing all the good in her power, 
visiting the sick and teaching in the schools. But in infancy she 
had been betrothed to the old heathen king of Lakemba, who now 
claimed her to be his thirtieth wife. She resolutely refused to 
fulfil this heathen betrothal, her father and all the Christian chiefs 
fully supporting her. On returning to Lakemba, Mr Calvert learnt 
that the old king had fitted out a fleet of eleven canoes, manned 
with warriors, and intended going himself to seize his bride. He 



THE PRINCESS OF ONO. 127 

went to him, bearing the customary whale's tooth as a peace-offer- 
ing, and besought him to refrain from this marauding expedition; 
but finding his words were to no purpose, he solemnly warned him 
that in fighting against these people, he was fighting against the 
Almighty, whose care they had invoked. The king, nothing 
daunted, set sail, and reached the Christian isle of Vatoa, where 
he cruelly ill -treated the people, wantonly destroying their food 
and property. There he remained several days, waiting for a fair 
breeze; but he despatched four canoes with a hundred piratical 
warriors, to await him at Ono. These canoes were never heard of 
again. When the fair wind sprang up he started in person, but 
though he actually sighted Ono, the wind shifted, and he was 
blown far away to leeward. The breeze freshened; the canoes 
and all on board were in imminent danger. Almost by miracle 
they escaped and returned to Lakemba, when the king sent to Mr 
Calvert the feast which, in his hour of danger, he had vowed to his 
gods, and prayed that his words of warning might never follow 
him again. He expressed his willingness to accept the customary 
gift of property, in lieu of the young woman, that she might be 
free to marry any other man. However, before it arrived, he had 
again changed his purpose and kept the offerings, but still de- 
manded the damsel. Nevertheless he did not venture to return 
to claim her, so she was left in peace and in the enjoyment of 
single blessedness, as no other suitor dared to come forward, the 
king not having relinquished his claim. 

Meanwhile the heathen people of Ono had done all in their 
power to persecute their Christian neighbours, who kept the peace 
as long as possible, but finally were driven to fighting. A civil 
war lasted for several weeks, which resulted in the complete defeat 
of the heathen. To their utter amazement, and contrary to all 
Fijian precedent, their lives were spared, and they were all freely 
pardoned, a course which naturally inclined them to respect the 
religion which taught such mercy. Consequently when, in 1842, 
Mr Williams visited Ono, he found that out of the £00 inhabitants 
only three persons were still nominally heathen, and these became 
Christians ere long. He baptised 200 persons, who had been 
waiting and longing for his coming. Portions of the New Testa- 
ment and the morning service from the Book of Common Prayer 
were now printed in the Ono dialect, and eagerly sought by the 
people ; and three years later, when Mr Calvert touched at the 
isle, he found all the population in a condition of religious fervour 
which filled him with thankfulness and amazement : the people 



128 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

were so intensely in earnest, and, on the whole, so calm and sen- 
sible. It was like a story of the early days of the Church — so 
wonderful was the flood of light and love that had been poured 
on these men and women, in answer to their exceeding longing to 
know the way of truth, and their whole-hearted acceptance of it. 
Some notes of their prayers and mutual exhortations, as spoken at 
the "love-feasts," have been recorded, and, like many others which 
have been translated to me at different places, breathe such inten- 
sity of Christian love and devotion, as we are accustomed to look 
for only in the lives of great saints. They so rejoice in the radi- 
ance of this newly found Light, that they suppose it must flood 
the whole world on which it has once shone ; while we, conscious 
of the dim grey faith which most prevails beneath our dim grey 
skies, are more inclined to echo Keble's sad words — 

" And of our scholars let us learn 
Our own forgotten lore ! " 

Many of the Ono men now desired to be allowed to go as 
teachers to other parts of Fiji (of course in peril of their lives). 
Of these, eight were selected, and in the simple prayer with which 
that meeting closed, the Tongan teacher, Silas Faone, exclaimed — 
" They go ; we stay on this small isle according to Thy will. We 
would all go, Thou Tcnowest, to make known the good tidings." At 
the close of morning service 300 communicants knelt together at 
the Holy Communion; and on the following morning all the 
people assembled on the beach, and again knelt in prayer for 
blessings on the teaching of the eight first missionaries sent forth 
by the little lonely isle to preach the Gospel of Christ to the 
vicious cannibal tribes throughout the group. 

Urgently did these people desire the presence of a resident 
clergyman amongst themselves, and for some time the Society 
endeavoured so to arrange their districts as to comply with their 
wish ; but as there were only six white missionaries to work in the 
eighty inhabited isles, it was found impossible to continue this. 
And thus it was that Joeli Mbulu came to be sent to Ono as a 
f ully ordained minister ; and zealously and efficiently did he work 
there, until more urgent need for his presence elsewhere compelled 
his removal to another district. 

It seems to be one of the most serious difficulties in the organls 
ing of all this great work, that excellent as are many of the native 
teachers, so small a number are found fit to undertake the respon- 
sibilities of higher work, such as the arrangement and control of an 



THAKOMBAU. 129 

infant church. They always require the direct guidance of the 
missionary, and if this is long withheld, difficulties almost inva- 
riably arise. Such a noble exception as dear old Joeli is rare 
indeed. 

In the last few days I have also made great friends with the 
Yuni Yalu and Andi Lytia, and some of her pretty attendants. I 
fancy the latter are remarkable pickles, and up to any amount of 
mischief in a quiet way, but in awesome terror of the old lady, as 
also of her daughter. Not that the morality encouraged by these 
is altogether in accordance with the views professed in civilised 
countries, especially as regards certain feudal rights of the chiefs ; 
and we occasionally hear of little episodes in other parts of the 
group which prove that the old nature is not wholly eradicated, 
and that some of these courteous high-born dames are capable, 
under the influence of jealousy, of such diabolical actions as I dare 
not even hint at. Instances like these are, however, happily rare, 
and we must not expect absolute perfection to be a fruit of such 
very rapid growth. I am not quite sure that, if our police reports 
are to be credited, we have attained to it even in London, after so 
many centuries of all civilising and Christianising influences. 

Thakombau was in great wrath when we arrived, because a 
damsel who is his ward had married the chief of Eewa without his 
sanction. In old days there would have been fierce war in conse- 
quence. Now, however, he is gradually subsiding, and is much 
interested about the Fijian mission to New Britain, He proposes 
going himself in his yacht to look up the teachers, and take them 
stores of mats and water -jars; and he invites Mr Langham to 
accompany him, but of course this will not come off. He told us 
of his amazement on beholding so vast a city as Sydney. He said 
it gave him some idea of what heaven must be ! We said we 
wished he could see London and Westminster Abbey. He replied 
that he could well imagine that the city of which Sydney was but 
an offshoot must indeed be of surpassing grandeur. Would he 
come to London*? No; he feared to die at sea and be thrown 
overboard. But we had run that risk to see his isles, and here we 
were safe. Oh, it was only his age that deterred him; his son 
might perhaps go. While we were sitting with him, his niece 
arrived in a canoe, bringing her own mats and several loaves of 
bread. She sat down silently in a corner ; no greeting passed, but 
her attendant mentioned the object of her visit, and the old couple 
took no further notice of her. 

One of the objects of interest in Bau is a very large canoe which 

I 



130 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

Thakombau is building for himself, and which will carry a hundred 
persons, and much baggage. You can imagine that making such a 
canoe as this, with such rude tools as these people possessed for- 
merly, was indeed a triumph of shipbuilding. First, there is the 
keel, made of several pieces of timber strongly joined ; then the 
sides have to be built up without ribs, but they are closely fitted, 
and caulked with native cloth and a sort of pitch made from the 
bread-fruit tree ; then the pieces are strongly sewed together with 
sinnet (which is string made of cocoa-nut fibre) ; a large platform 
is built over the middle of the canoe, and on this is a deck-house. 
The whole is balanced by a heavy log of wood attached to one side 
as an outrigger. Some large canoes are double — two are placed 
side by side, and the platform connects them. There are holes in 
the deck through which the sculling-oars are worked, and the helm 
is a great steer- oar about twenty feet long with a blade about 
eighteen inches wide. It can be worked from either end of the 
boat ; and the one great sail is also dragged from end to end with 
infinite labour, so that at every tack bow and stern change parts. 
Such a canoe flying before the wind, and throwing up a fountain 
of white foam as it rushes through the water, is a very beautiful 
object, and one which I am never weary of watching. But there 
are many canoes which dare not approach Bau in this brave style, 
but have to lower their sail while yet a great way off, and scull 
humbly to the shore. If the canoes come from Somosomo (Taviuni) 
the scullers dare not even stand, but must squat in token of low- 
liest humility, shouting the iama (obeisance) from time to time. 

In olden days the building of such a canoe as this would have 
entailed a whole series of cannibal feasts. First, as rejoicing when 
the keel was laid down ; then feasts for the carpenters as each por- 
tion was completed ; then living rollers to facilitate launching the 
canoe — and these, of course, were cooked and eaten ; next, the 
deck of the canoe must be washed with blood ; and finally, a great 
feast must be provided on the occasion of first taking down the 
mast. Sometimes as many as fifteen men were sacrificed for such 
a banquet. If a new canoe was brought to Bau which had not 
received its due baptism of blood, the chiefs would attack a neigh- 
bouring town to secure victims, that its reproach might be taken 
away ! 

No fear of any such horrors now. The building of the great 
canoe progresses slowly, for workmen are now scarce; but the old 
king sits for hours watching it with pleasure, and then, taking 
advantage of the low tide, he tucks up his drapery of tappa, and 



SEVERE STORM. 131 

wades almost knee-deep through the shallow water to the muddy 
shore of the main island, where he goes to work with his own 
hands in his yam-gardens, — chiefly to set a good example of honest 
labour to his people. 

Last Sunday Mr Langham took me to see another village, where 
he was to hold service. The morning was lovely — a dead calm 
and oppressive stillness. We had scarcely got home when the sky 
darkened, and it began to pour. Bain was much wanted for the 
yam crop, but this was decidedly in excess. "We were to have 
started for Levuka at daybreak the following morning, but deemed 
it prudent to defer, as it was evident foul weather was approach- 
ing. The students went to the main isle to cut mangroves with 
which to bind the thatch, and make such preparations as they 
could. Darker and darker grew the sky, heavy grey clouds closed 
all round the horizon, hiding even the nearest isles. Then down 
came the rain — such a downpour as I have rarely seen, even in the 
tropics. Soon the wind rose in fitful gusts, howling and moaning. 
It increased steadily till it was actually a small hurricane. 1 Not 
such an awful one as they sometimes have even here, and not 
nearly so bad as a West Indian one, but by far the worst I have 
ever seen. It blew furiously all night, and one marvelled how any 
trees stood it — the palms were tossed about like mad things. Of 
course every blossom in the garden was gone. Even inside the 
coral-reef the sea was thundering in great crested waves. In the 
middle of the night the roof of my room began to leak so freely, 
that we thought the whole thatch would blow off, so Mr Langham 
rang a great bell, and all the young men, students at the mission, 

1 We happily escaped any severe hurricane during the two years I remained in 
the group ; but the following extract from the ' Times ' tells of a storm at the close 
of 1879 which proves that the oft-told stories of devastation and ruin which at last 
we heard almost incredulously, were only too true. The labours of years were all 
swept away in a few hours, and crops of every sort totally destroyed. 

"Cyclone in the Pacific. — A storm in December did very great damage in 
Fiji. The banana plantations were laid level with the ground. At Naida a tidal 
wave went two miles into the bush, sweeping away and destroying everything be- 
fore it. The cutter Alarm was washed up into the bush. The Byron, cutter, 
foundered at Nunda Point, and the owner, Mr M'Pherson, and one Fijian were 
drowned. Among the drowned was also J. B. Grundy, manager to Mr William 
Bailey. S. L. P. Winter and two Fijians were lost in a half-decked boat at Bau. 
Two natives were drowned and every house blown down at Uadmarre and Madroch. 
The whole country is described as denuded of timber, and the native food crops 
destroyed. Her Majesty's ship Emerald, which had on board Sir Arthur Gordon 
and suite, en route for Rototuinah, encountered a cyclone off that island, but man- 
aged to weather it safely. The Stanley, of Que nsland, 113 tons register, caught 
the full force of the late gale. She had 150 islanders on board for Fiji, who were 
kept under battened hatches for thirty hours at a time. Fifty subsequently died, 
and one committed suicide on being discharged from Levuka Hospital. Ten more 
deaths were expected." 



132 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

came up and swarmed over the roof and bound it with planks and 
long mangrove wands. 

In the morning the storm partially subsided, and as. soon as any- 
one could stand, the king's fat handsome daughter came up herself 
to get some milk for his breakfast. Her simple attire consisted of 
a bath-towel worn round the waist and a pocket-handkerchief tied 
across the capacious bosom, below the arms ! The king hecs a cow 
of his own, but rarely contrives to get any milk ; so he generally 
sends up to the Langhams for either a jug of milk or of ready-made 
tea with bread and butter ! 

By evening the weather was quite settled, and there was a great 
calm ; so, as Mr Langham had business to do in Levuka, he de- 
cided to start next morning. He kindly chartered a canoe to carry 
my precious collection of clubs, spears, and bowls ; it started at 
midnight, and at 3.30 a. m. Mrs L. came herself to call me. She 
gave us a comfortable breakfast by lamp-light. Then the boatmen, 
according to invariable custom, came in to lotu (family prayers), 
and with the first glimmer of dawn we started down the green 
hill, and found dear old Joeli waiting to speed us on our way. 
What a contrast to a cheerless start for the train on a January 
morning in England ! 

We sailed before sunrise, and about 9 a.m. reached a pretty small 
island called Thangalei, where we breakfasted under the shadow 
of a magnificent Mbaka tree, whose many-pillared stem formed a 
large enclosure, which some very utilitarian person had converted 
into a pig-sty ! 

We started again as soon as possible, but there was no wind all 
day, and rowing a heavy boat is slow work, and so it came to pass 
that we missed the tide and could not get inside the reef at the 
passage. We therefore had to row outside in the open sea, keeping 
at a safe distance from the great, grand, awful breakers which fell 
with such appalling force and thunderous roar on the massive coral 
barrier, tossing vast volumes of white spray high in mid-air, and 
concealing from us all the land except the mountain- tops. It was 
very unpleasant, for though the sea was calm, it had not quite for- 
gotten its recent battle with the winds, and heaved in great swell- 
ing rollers, which would have swept us on to the reef had not the 
men pulled hard. At last we came to a very narrow passage, by 
which we entered the calm shallow water ; but it was an anxious 
moment, for there was only just room for the boat to pass, and as 
the huge walls of green water towered up on either side and fell in 
cataracts of foam, it seemed as though they must swallow us up. 



NASOVA AGAIN. 133 

The men pulled steadily and strong, but it was an intense relief 
when we glided safely into the peaceful blue water of that quiet 
haven, and an hour later reached the pier at Xasova, where I found 
all the party reassembled. They had come back from Suva in 
H.M.S. Xymphe, with Captain Grant Suttie, just before the gale 
on Monday night. 

Great was the excitement of unpacking my canoe-load of curi- 
osities , for we are each trying who can make the very best collec- 
tion — Sir Arthur, Mr Gordon, Captain Knollys, Mr Maudslay, 
Baron von Hiigel, and myself. Our daily delight is to ransack 
the stores in Levuka, where the natives may have bartered old 
things for new, and great is the triumph of whoever succeeds in 
capturing some new form of bowl or quaint bit of carving. All 
cur rooms are like museums, adorned with savage implements, and 
draped with native cloth of beautifully rich patterns, all hand- 
painted. The house has made great progress in our absence. The 
large new drawing-room, built entirely of wood, is really a very 
fine room, and has two large bow-windows, besides the usual mul- 
titude of glass doors opening on to the verandah. The garden, 
too, begins to reward Abbey's care, and looks quite bright; and he 
is diligently striving to make a small lawn, winch, however, is very 
difficult work. You really would say so if you saw the labour- 
boys patiently snipping the grass with old scissors ! 

I have just been doing a round of visits to my especial friends, 
Mrs Havelock, Mrs Macgregor, Mrs D. Eicci, and the Layards. 
It seems as if I had been away for months; it is so pleasant 
coming back to such cordial welcome from them all. Captain 
Havelock took me to call on Mr Leefe, who is in Levuka for 
surgical treatment, his hand having been lacerated in a fibre- 
crushing machine. It was fearful agony, and he must have had a 
dreadful journey coming here by himself. It was impossible for 
his wife to accompany him, as all their live stock would inevitably 
have been left to die of neglect in her absence. 

Yesterday another of the Engineers died (his wife and children 
are on their way from England). This morning at sunrise the 
military funeral marched sadly past this house, with the Union- 
jack for a pall, and a party of sailors from H.M.S. Xymphe, with 
fife and drum. Several men fell out, overcome by the heat, which 
is simply grilling. 

Some officers from an American man-of-war have just come to 
call, so I may as well close this letter. — Your loving sister. 



134 AT HOME IN FIJL 



CHAPTER XIY. 



LIFE AT NASOVA — FARMYARD — CONVICT THATCHERS— NATIVE FESTIVAL AT 
EAU — RETURN TO NASOVA — RATTLES WITH CRABS — BEGINNING OF CAN- 
NIBAL DISTURBANCE— FIJIAN FAIRIES — A STORM. 

Nasota, Fiji, March 1, 1S76. 

Dear Aunt Emma, — I have not yet- written once direct to you, 
but I trust you nevertheless consider yourself bound to write to 
me ; for you cannot realise how greatly Ave prize all home letters 
out here, and how we do watch for the mails. We have been so 
watching now for upwards of a week, the mail being long overdue, 
and a hundred times a-day we look up to see if no faint line of 
smoke on the horizon tells of its approach ; and when it does come 
in with a whole month's European news, can you not fancy what 
an anxious minute the opening of the mail-bag is 1 If only people 
at home could realise the delight their letters are to wanderers in 
far lands, I think they would surely write more regularly. 

I wish I could look in at you all, just for a good chat, but I 
should wish to carry with me a flood of sunshine, and this calm 
blessed sea, for I fear London is hardly as pretty to-day as Fiji; 
and whatever disadvantages this place possesses, it certainly has 
no lack of beauty. At present, however, it is terribly isolated — a 
small steamer to Jfew Zealand being our only direct communica- 
tion with the outer world, the Australian boats having deliberately 
dropped us, declaring that we don't pay ! However, for the last 
three months the great steamers running between San Francisco, 
Xew Zealand, and Australia have touched at Khandavu, our outer- 
most isle, bringing and taking mails and passengers ; but they are 
fighting hard to get off doing so, and only do it at all because their 
agent signed a contract which they find they cannot at present 
legally break. 

March 7. — I began this letter a week ago, when we were waiting 
and watching for the niaiL At last, when we were beginning to fear 
our little steamer had gone to the bottom, she returned with a few 
Australian letters, but the aggravating steamer from San Francisco 
never touched Khandavu at all ; so all our English letters and 
papers have gone to ]S T ew Zealand, and we shall not see them for 
six weeks, j So much for being a poor colony, which cannot afford 
to build proper lighthouses. And poor it is with a vengeance. 






LIFE AT NASOVA. 135 

You cannot imagine anything more so. The whole white com- 
munity are only just above starvation-point, and yet everything is 
very expensive. 

I cannot give you a better proof of the general poverty than the 
fact that scarcely any one in Levuka (the capital) owns a boat — 
the only other means of locomotion being to tramp on weary feet 
along the vilest of shingly footpaths. Even the officials — the 
Colonial Secretary and Auditor-General — have none. The Judge 
(Sir William Hackett) and the Attorney-General (Mr de Ricci) 
have a rickety old tub between them, which they either pidl them- 
selves, or man with two labour-boys, each great arm of the law 
supplying one ! Of course the Governor has his own boat, in 
which Lady Gordon goes for a small row two or three times a-week ; 
but it takes six of the native police to man it, and they are not 
always available. Moreover, it is such a good boat that there are 
very few places where it can ever be allowed to touch ; and above 
all, it must keep a very respectful distance from the beautiful 
coral-reefs and patches, which are to me the chief delight of this 
place. I always envy the native women, who are for ever playing, 
and fishing, and finding wonderful treasures on the reef, but here 
the whites do not understand the interest of such pursuits. So 
my enjoyment of the reef consists in looking down on it from the 
hill above us, and lovely indeed it is. 

Just behind the house is a steep glen, with a rocky wee burn, 
overhung with good large trees, and these are matted with ferns 
and creepers. It is not a very fine piece of tropical scenery, but 
it is my own, in the sense that no one else ever takes the trouble 
to climb up. So there are few days that I do not scramble up to 
some pleasant perch among the grey boulders, whence I can look 
down through the fringe and frame of green leaves to the lovely 
blue sea, with the band of rainbow light that marks the coral-reef. 
I am writing there just now, in a cleft between two great rocks, 
and right glad to escape from the sound of many voices down at 
the house. For one of the aggravations of house-building out 
here (as in tropical countries generally) is, that to improve ventila- 
tion, the partitions between rooms always stop short of the ceiling. 
Consequently every word spoken in one is heard in all the others, 
to the great aggravation of the unwilling listener. How the 
gentlemen can concentrate their minds sufficiently to write busi- 
ness letters in their very noisy quarters, with people of all colours 
perpetually coming and going, is to me a standing mystery ; and 
the annoyance is further aggravated by the fact that, in these one- 



136 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

storeyed houses, all rooms must of course be on the ground-floor, 
and all windows are shutterless glass doors, opening on to a public 
verandah; and you have to choose between sitting with several 
doors wide open to all comers, or stifling for lack of air by closing 
them. Certainly no one in Fiji can say that his house or his 
room is his castle, where he may rest undisturbed. I think, of all 
delights of a British house, there is none which Ave all shall hence- 
forth prize more thankfully than the privilege of sitting at our 
own windows upstairs with closed doors. I am bound to say, 
however, that I am far better off than any one else in the house 
in this respect, having a very cosy nest in the new wing. But 
being next the nursery, the system of open roof makes the rooms 
virtually one ; and though the two children, Jack and Nevil, are 
the very dearest and best of little chicks, and their Welsh nurse 
and Portuguese nursery-maid are likewise excellent, it does some- 
times suggest itself that silence would be preferable. So then I 
creep up my glen and have an hour or two, with only the blue 
and gold lizards as companions. 

Happily in Fiji we have really no noxious creatures except 
mosquitoes (and they do swarm). But the houses are full of 
cockroaches, which eat everything — boots, shoes, clothes, &c. — and 
what they spare the mildew destroys. My drawing-paper is 
already spoilt, and our dresses and boots are green with mildew 
every morning. So are our collections of spears, clubs, and bowls, 
which require daily rubbing with oil. Another foe is a lovely 
white cockatoo, which has a special fancy for eating the best table- 
cloths and the gentlemen's dress-clothes ! We have a good many 
parrots about the place, more or less tame, which will come and 
perch on the tea-cups, upsetting more than they drink; and there 
are tame kingfishers, which eat the cockroaches (in which useful 
art they are assisted by huge spiders, which we love and cherish). 
A pair of laughing-jackasses walk about the apology for a garden, 
and jeer at everything ; and sometimes they and the pigeons come 
into the drawing-room, and have to be driven out ; and all farm- 
yard creatures, carefully reared by Abbey since our arrival, roam 
about on every side, — cows, sheep, turkeys, geese, and fowls ; and 
don't they all cackle and gobble ! You see there is so very little 
available ground for anything here on this rocky island, that 
everything is huddled up into no space at all. A very pet dog, 
with her puppies of two generations, complete the family. 

We are getting tolerably cosy at last ; but it has been a slow 
process, — and it is little more than a month since we were able to 






LIFE AT NASOVA. 137 

take possession of the three new rooms which Sir Arthur lias 
added to the old house — namely, a large drawing-room, a nursery, 
and bedroom, which last was built for Lady Gordon ; but as she 
prefers remaining in the old house, it falls to my share. It is a 
simple wooden house; but so expensive is every detail of Avork 
here, that I believe it has cost Sir Arthur upwards of £1000 ; and 
as he refunds more than a third of his nominal salary as Governor 
to this wellnigh empty treasury, it follows that the post is by no 
means a lucrative one. Our new rooms are very nice ; but in the 
wish to make the building less hideous than other houses here, 
Sir Arthur indulged in gable-ends, which, we are told, will prob- 
ably result in our being left roofless the night of the first hurri- 
cane, — for which the weather prophets look about three weeks 
hence, 

They tell us that this intense heat will last about six weeks 
longer, when, the rainy season being over, we may expect a long 
spell of beautiful weather. Meanwhile we only have occasional 
rain — very heavy when it does fall. 

It was suddenly discovered that the roof of this old house (only 
four years old) was quite rotten — the thatch, I mean. So one 
hundred men were collected to repair it ; and they are now crawl- 
ing all over the roof like a swarm of ants, or else passing down 
the hill in long lines, bearing huge burdens of tall grass, ten feet 
high, with great white plumes of silky blossom. It is a very 
picturesque scene; but as they have been at it for about three 
weeks (and indeed there are always a tribe of workmen at some 
corner of the place, if not everywhere), we begin to wish they had 
finished, especially as many of them are unhappy-looking pris- 
oners. One is a murderer, working in heavy chains ; and though 
he looks very happy, generally climbing nimbly about the roof, 
notwithstanding this heavy weight, it makes me hot and miserable 
to see him. He was found guilty of the murder of a planter of 
the name of Burns, and his wife. It was a frightful story. I do 
not know why he was not hanged. He is working in chains 
because he has already escaped once and been recaptured; but 
from his extreme activity, I should think his fetters might prove 
a very slight impediment should he resolve to try his luck again. 
Another large body of men are working at the rough ground 
behind the house, turning it into a little garden. Already it is 
taking shape, and will doubtless be very nice by the time the 
capital is moved to another island, when it will probably be left 
to its fate. Sir Arthur is very anxious to effect this move, which 



138 AT HOME W FIJI. 

undoubtedly will, in the long-run, prove a wise step ; but in the 
meantime it will, of course, entail various hardships on many of 
these already hard-struggling people. But I daresay it will be a 
good while before anything is done about it. Everything here is 
very slow work, and the inhabitants have sore need of patience. 

It is pleasant to turn from the many cares and sorrows of the 
whites to the cheerier dark side of the picture ; for the Fijians are 
always laughing, and seem always ready to sing and dance. Cer- 
tainly they, too, are wretchedly poor; but they need very little, 
and are well off, where a white man would starve. 

March 10. — I have just returned from a most delightful expe- 
dition, thanks, as usual, to the Wesleyan missionaries, to whose 
kind help I really am indebted for all I have yet seen of native 
life. Last week I had a letter from Andi Kuilla — i.e., Lady Flag 
— daughter of Thakombau, asking me to go and stay with her at 
Bau, the native capital, to be present at a grand gathering of the 
chiefs, when all their most striking Bau dances would be performed 
at the great annual missionary meeting. It is the custom here for 
every district to hold an annual social gathering, to which all the 
people bring their contributions for the funds of the mission. 
These they generally carry in their mouth for safety, and spit them 
on to a mat at the feet of the missionary. The advantage of this 
self-acting purse to men who have no pockets, and whose hands 
carry clubs or fans, is evident. Then they go off in grand proces- 
sion and have a dance, which combines ballet with pantomime, all 
the dancers being dressed up in the most startling varieties of 
Fijian style. Paint of all colours; garlands of every sort of 
material, for every limb except the head, which is adorned with 
its own magnificent halo of spiral goldeny curls — tiny ones — the 
hair standing straight out from the head ; it is dotted with one 01 
two blossoms or sprigs of grass, coquettishly stuck in. 

Well, this invitation was most tempting, but there seemed at 
first no means of accepting it — no boat was to be had, and no 
escort. At last, in despair, I went off to ask a nice English girl, 
who talks perfect Fijian, if she would venture on coming alone 
with me (twenty-five miles in an open boat, supposing I could hire 
one). She agreed, and we went together to consult Mr Wylie, the 
missionary here. He at once solved all difficulties, and sent his 
own good boat for us at daybreak, in charge of a native teacher, 
who, he said, was only waiting for an opportunity to go to Bau. 
At the last moment, Captain Havelock, the Colonial Secretary, 
found he could manage to allow himself a holiday — the very first 






THE LADIES OE BAU. 139 

since his arrival. So we started most happily. We had a lovely 
day for our long row (no wind for sailing, however) ; halted for 
luncheon at a small sandy island covered with cocoa-palms, and 
rested under a splendid Mbaka tree (Fijian banyan) ; then on 
again, and reached Bau at sunset. It is a tiny island just off the 
mainland. 

W.e found kind Mr Langham waiting at the pier to welcome us 
and offer us comfortable quarters, as a Fijian house is not good for 
sleep on such occasions. It seemed to me the dancing was going 
on more or less for thirty-six hours, counting from the moment of 
our arrival, when a most picturesque rehearsal was going on in the 
bright moonlight ! Of course there had been innumerable previous 
ones ; for the figures are most elaborate, the movements very varied 
and like a complicated ballet in which every dancer (perhaps two 
hundred at once) must move in faultless time. 

As we came up to Thakombau's quarters a hundred and fifty 
ladies of Bau were beginning their dance, each carrying a paddle 
of polished wood, which they waved and turned with simultaneous 
action. The general effect was most stately. (I should have said 
ladies and their attendants, for nowhere is all etiquette of rank and 
birth so rigidly cared for. All rank comes through the mother.) 
The dancers were led by Andi Lytia and Andi Kuilla, the ex-queen 
and her daughter. Both are very tall and stout, — really fine stately 
women. ]N T o high-bred English duchess could carry herself more 
nobly than these born ladies leading their Tongan minuet. One 
of the sons has just married a Tongan princess, a very pretty 
woman. 

Hitherto I had only seen them in the undress of their homes, 
with a white waist-cloth, and sometimes a tiny pinafore only just 
covering the breast. Even then no one could fail to be struck with 
their true dignity. It is just the same with the men — the fine old 
chief and his handsome sons. It is quite impossible to look at 
these people now and realise the appalling scenes in which at least 
the older ones have so often joined. Now the ladies were in full 
dress, consisting of a waist-cloth of very rare black tappa, tiny 
jackets of white silk edged with lace, and no ornament whatever 
save a small English locket, and a small tuft of scarlet flowers in 
their halo of hair — that of the old queen is quite grey. They both 
looked really handsome. 

Next day crowds of canoes kept arriving from every neighbour- 
ing island, and dancing and feasting went on all day. The grand 
mekes came off in the afternoon, but many of the occasional ones 



140 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

■were quite as pretty. Each district has dances peculiar to itseli. 
Here there was not one spear-dance, — all clubs or fans. The men 
on these occasions are generally so painted and dressed up that you 
cannot recognise your dearest friend; and we were quite puzzled by 
the king's handsome sons, Ratu Joe and Ratu Timothy, appearing, 
one scarlet the other black, down to the waist. But we were chiefly 
puzzled and attracted by one very fine fellow, all painted black, 
with a huge wreath and neck-garland of scarlet hybiscus and green 
leaves, and rattling garters made of many hanging strings of large 
cockle-shells, and the usual liku (a sort -of kilt or waist-drapery) of 
fringes of coloured pandanus leaves, or fresh ferns, &c. Of course 
he carried a club, and was barefooted. This man distinguished 
himself greatly, and afterwards acted the part of a huge dog in a 
dance where all the children appeared on all-fours as cats (" pussies "). 
Eventually we discovered him to be a European known as Jack 
Cassell. 

One very pretty girl, Andi Karlotta, who is engaged to Ratu 
Joe, wore a rose-coloured bodice and sulu, and a tinge of red 
sprinkled over her hair, all to match. Very often now the girls 
wear streamers of English ribbon ; but these Bau ladies hold their 
heads very high, and decided that, as girls on the mainland had 
adopted ribbon, they would tambu it ; so only a little lace-edging 
was allowed. In addition to the actual kilt, many of the men 
wear innumerable loops and folds, and even a trailing train, of 
white tcqjpa, the effect of which is graceful. Some wore a head- 
dress made of very delicate bands of it, from the forehead to the 
back of the neck, looking like tiny white wreaths ; others wore a 
kind of turban of smoke-dried gauze, and large beautiful breast- 
plates of pearly shell inlaid with ivory. 

Just when the principal mekes were over, a tremendous shower 
came on; happily not till the people had gone home to feast. 
Later it cleared up, and they danced the whole night in the moon- 
light, though the rain had converted half the grass into a lake. 
But as they had no satin shoes to think about, they danced right 
through it, and seemed very happy. Their commonest figure is a 
great double circle, working opposite ways, the orchestra standing 
in the middle, singing and beating time with bamboos; and some- 
times they dance off like a very curly letter S to join another 
double circle. 

^Ve sat up watching them from the mission garden till past 
1 a.m. ; for though we were all tired, there was a solemn confer- 
ence going on at the house, the neighbouring brethren having all 



RETURN TO NASOVA. 141 

assembled to sit in judgment on the alleged delinquencies of a 
native minister. So, as their wives did not know whether they 
were to go home that night or not, all they could do was to lay 
their small children down to sleep in every corner. Finally one 
family departed, with two little ones, to row to a neighbouring isic 
and then carry the children a mile through the forest — one fair 
little thing carried by a Fijian child not much bigger than itself, — 
such a bright intelligent little monkey. 

When we awoke next morning the dancers were still in full 
swing ; but soon after sunrise all departed in their canoes, singing 
as they sailed away, and all declaring it had been a very pleasant 
time. 

We foolishly allowed 'ourselves to be detained till towards noon, 
trusting to our host's practice in catching tides (for only at certain 
hours can you cross the coral-reefs, and that only at certain points, 
miles apart). But a head-wind set in and made a nasty wobbly 
sea. Our men were not very fresh, and when we neared the isle 
where we had lunched on our way, we found we had lost the tide 
and had to row a long way round outside the reef, and then come 
in by a passage so very narrow that it was difficult to discern it in 
the very fitful moonlight. It was an anxious moment passing be- 
tween the two great lines of breakers which nark the edge of every 
reef. Once inside, the danger is only of running aground on coral- 
patches. 

It was nearly 9 p.m. before we reached a small island where we 
were carried ashore and had supper on the sands under the palm- 
j^rees while our men rested. It was pleasant sitting in the moon- 
light, but when we had re-embarked very heavy rain came on ; 
however, we had good waterproofs, and our men had a good coat- 
ing of fresh oil, so it did no harm. It was clear moonlight when at 
last, at 1 a.m., we reached the pier, whereon lay sleeping a row of 
labour-boys, who had chosen this al fresco bedroom for the sake 
of the breeze. They are the servants from other isles, who work 
harder than Fijians. Fijians make most graceful table servants 
and good police. They look on their drill as a sort of meke. but 
they utterly abhor all hard work. So half the isles of the South 
Pacific are represented in the household. We woke the boys and 
got our things carried up to the house, crept up the verandah to 
my room without disturbing anybody, rigged up our mosquito- 
curtains, and had no further adventures save two battles with 
land-crabs, which came in and walked about clattering their claws 
against the woodwork, so that they had to be turned out. (I 



142 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

clubbed one one night in my anguish lest he should nip my toes, 
but the result was so horribly nasty, that now I always catch them 
and carry them down to the little stream hard by, to prevent their 
coming back) — rather an aggravating episode to occur twice in a 
night when you are very tired ; and before I was well asleep again, 
a pathetic little cry came from the nursery, " Oh, I am so sick, and 
nurse has gone to bathe ! " So I had to fly to the rescue, to find 
dear little Jack on the sick-list. He is better to-day, but the 
climate is a very trying one for children — debilitating, though not 
positively unhealthy. 

We have had intense heat and damp, but I think it is over now, 
and we have a sweet breeze, so long as we can sit in it; but un- 
fortunately it does not reach rooms round the corner, so some are 
always hot. However, thanks to moving about a good deal for 
change of air, we all keep very fairly well. 

Though our household party is nominally a large one, two or 
three are generally absent. Captain Knollys and Mr Gordon have 
just returned from an expedition to the camp up in the mountains, 
in the heart of the disaffected district, among the wild big- heads, 
the Kai Tholos, or people of the mountains. Captain Olive was 
sent up there some time ago with a strong force of native police 
(very fine men, and he glories in them, and lives like them and 
with them). He made a regular fortified camp, on a plain in the 
heart of the mountains, and at first the mountaineers thought he 
certainly meant war ; but by degrees they are getting tamer, and 
the one tribe which is most seriously antagonistic has been vainly 
trying to persuade others to back it up, and they have refused ; so 
now we hope all fear of fighting is over. But it was necessary to 
send up some more armed men as a reinforcement, and a great mass 
of stuff for barter; so these two went in charge of it, and have 
brought us back very interesting sketches of places and people. 
Mr Gordon is a real artist, and his sketches are very clever. 

Up in the mountains the people are still heathen, and the dress 
is yet primitive. For full dress, women wear a fringe of grass four 
inches long. The men of the mountains when fully dressed wear 
a strip of tappa tied in a very large bow, and trailing train. Their 
heads are gigantic, about eighteen inches in diameter, and some 
much larger ; the stiff hair being very long and bent back in large 
bunches, makes it grow inward among the roots : of course it is 
rarely, if ever, dressed, and forms magnificent cover ! As the 
inmates are apt to tickle, every big-head wears a long pin stuck 
through the hair to scratch with, and when the irritation becomes 



FIJIAN FAIRIES. 143 

unbearable, he kindles a fire of banana-leaves, and, placing his wooden 
neck-pillow close to it, gets his head thoroughly smoked. 

These wooden neck-pillows occupy a prominent position in the 
annals of the Fijian police-courts. They are handy weapons ; and 
a bolstering match in which they figure is apt to be a serious one. 
They are a great check on aggravating curtain-lectures, and are used 
everywhere all over the isles. Most pillows are a stick about one 
inch in diameter, resting on two legs. 

These Kai Tholos (highlanders) have many legends and fairy 
tales which, unfortunately, no one who has really mastered the lan- 
guage can find time to collect. One is, that the great dakua or 
kaurie pine-forests are haunted by tiny men called Vele, with high 
conical heads. They carry small .hand- clubs, which they throw at 
all trespassers, who go mad in consequence ; but (mark the coinci- 
dence with German fairy tales) if you have the wit to carry in your 
hand a fern-leaf, they are powerless, and fall at your feet, crying, 
" Spare me." Once they all fell in love with a pretty human girl 
who strayed into the forest. They were so charmed with her that 
they kept her there a year before she managed to escape. 

I find that Mr Williams, one of the earlier missionaries, took 
some notes on this subject. He says : — 

"The Fijian peoples with invisible beings every remarkable spot: 
the lonely dell, the gloomy cave, the desolate rock, and the deep 
forest. Many of these, he believes, are on the alert to do him 
harm ; therefore, in passing their territory, he throws down a few 
green leaves to propitiate the demon of the place. Among the 
principal objects of Fijian superstition are demons, ghosts, witches, 
wizards, fairies, evil-eyes, seers, and priests, all of whom he believes 
to possess supernatural power. A very old Fijian used to talk to 
me of ' those little gods,' with a faith as strong as that of a High- 
lander in his fairies. And these ' little gods ' are the fairies of Fiji. 
' When living near the Kauvandra mountains, I often used to hear 
them sing,' said the old man ; and his eyes brightened as he went 
on to tell how they would assemble in troops on the tops of the 
mountains and sing unweariedly. They were all little — ' like little 
children. I have often seen them and listened to their songs.' 
These are the mountain fairies. There are other ' little gods,' called 
luve-ni-ioai, children of the waters. My list contains more than 
fifty of their names, but I believe it is incomplete. They are 
represented as wild and fearful, and at certain festivals they visit 
their worshippers, who for several successive weeks assemble morn- 
ing and evening to allure them by drumming with short bamboos. 



144 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

Little flags are placed at various inland passes to prevent these 
water-gods from passing on to the forests; so they halt at an 
enclosure where offerings have been prepared for them, and there 
the worshippers seat themselves and beat their bamboos, and others 
dance in most fantastic style, while one, called the Ling a Viu, or 
shade-holder, dances in a circle all round the others, waving a sun- 
shade which he alone is privileged to carry." 

" There is a warlock, called Ndrudru Sambo, who is very tall, 
and of a grey colour, with a wide flat head ; he breathes hard, and 
makes a clattering noise as he moves. He steals fish from the 
fishermen, and dainty bits of food wherever he finds them. If 
touched with a s'pear he instantly takes the form of a rat." 

I find that is all I can learn of the fairies at present. Possibly 
the reward of £100, offered at Max Muller's instigation, for a col- 
lection of such lore, may induce some one to find time to make one 
before it all dies out, as it invariably does when the people become 
civilised or Christianised and ashamed of old superstitions. Then 
good and bad all pass away together. But I must say the mission- 
aries in Fiji have shown superlative common-sense in their method 
of dealing with native customs, discriminating between the innocent 
and the evil. 

We are especially grateful to the Kai Tholos for proving that 
Christianity has no connection with broadcloth, and in every way 
discouraging the adoption of European garments. I have only seen 
one man foolish enough to appear in such — a native minister — and 
I rejoiced to hear his superiors indulging in gentle sarcasm, which 
would certainly have its effect. But in some neighbouring groups 
— Tonga for instance, where the people are even a finer race than 
these — everything native is dying out. To encourage the import 
of foreign goods, the people are forbidden by law to make or wear 
native cloth, and they are encouraged to make themselves objects of 
ridicule by adopting European dress. Imagine Parisian bonnets 
and absurd hats on these picturesque heads. This is the last 
news from Tonga just brought by H.M.S. Nymphe (Captain Grant 
Suttie), which went there to take Mr Layard, Consul of Tonga, ou 
official duty. The cruise was delightful, but with some shadows. 
One officer, Mr Grey, died quite suddenly ; the armourer also died, 
but he was very ill before they started. 

Mr Gordon has gone off to-day to try and make an amicable 
temporary arrangement between some natives and a white settler, 
who all claim the same land. So the former spear the cattle of the 
latter and drive them down into the sea. The wretched beasts are 






A STORM. 145 

dying of starvation ; and as it may be a couple of years befcre the 
Lands Commission can decide on the ownership of the innumerable 
estates claimed by hundreds of people, the white man's wife came 
here to crave some temporary interference. She wore a white dress 
and white lace, her hair in beautiful long ringlets, a large hat 
and feather, and is very interesting to look upon. I hear she is a 
splendid musician, and something of an artist. She is an Austrian 
lady who had money of her own, which her husband has invested 
in this charming way. I should think plantation life in Fiji was 
hard enough in any case ; but when you come to being at logger- 
heads with the natives, it must be odious indeed. 

Now I think I have given you a long enough screed. I am sure 
dear old Lady Ruthven will like to hear "A letter from Fiji." 
Please give her my kindest love. 

March 16. — After all, our letters have never gone. The weather 
was so bad that it was impossible to finish necessary repairs to the 
Government steamer (which recently discovered a new coral-reef, 
greatly to her own discomfiture). The glass is falling steadily, and 
there is every symptom of an approaching hurricane, which will 
probably carry away our whole roof if it proves severe. Nor is 
this our only danger. This morning when daylight broke we found 
that my dear little burn in the rocky glen had swollen to an angry 
mountain torrent, and was tearing along, making new little streams 
and waterfalls in every direction — one right across the verandah. 
A squad of men have been working at a dike all the afternoon ; 
but as it has rained steadily all day, and the bed of the stream is 
not ten feet from the drawing-room and nursery windows, we fully 
expect to be washed out to-night. So the drawing-room and my 
room have been entirely dismantled, and present a hideous sight of 
blank bare floors and packing-cases ! 

As for the poor little attempt at a garden, young rivers are 
careering all over it. As yet our only flowers are balsams, raised 
from seed, not very interesting flowers, but our only treasures in 
this flowerless region. But really, what pleasure is there in making 
anything nice in such a country 1 I thought I would have my 
room very dandy, so I invested in a pair of tall vases to stand on 
carved brackets and hold ferns and grasses. Almost the first day 
I put them up, one sudden gust of wind blew them both over, and 
I found only fragments ! 

The Governor has just come to despatch the gentlemen to dio- 
out Mrs Macgregor, the doctor's wife, who is being buried by a mud 
avalanche, and her husband is far too busy with his sick folk to 

K 



146 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

look after her. The hospital is quite full, and he has out-patientg 
in all directions. We certainly heard very false accounts of the 
healthiness of this place, especially the utter absence of sunstroke. 
At least three deaths have been due to it since we came. One 
victim was a Fijian, who dropped down dead at his work on Satur- 
day; the other two were Engineers; and a labour- boy dropped 
down dead yesterday, but I do not know from what cause. A 
third Engineer died and was buried yesterday. They only landed 
here in September, and out of their corps of sixty men three have 
died, and many are on the sick-list. Just imagine that they have 
never yet got their sun-hats, or any white clothing, though this is 
by far the hottest place any of us have ever been in ! 

The cemetery lies on a hill beyond us, and it is so sad seeing all 
the funerals pass. The last was that of a poor American sailor, 
who died in hospital, and four labour-boys trotted past, carrying 
him with no more ceremony than if the coffin had been an old 
packing-case. 

We have just had two interesting domestic events in the middle 
of the storm. The first was the arrival of a fine litter of young 
pigs, who chose this very awkward moment for their appearance. 
The other was the ruthless destruction of a cherished nest, just in 
front of the nursery window, where a Muscovy duck had made 
her home at the root of an old tree overhanging the water. We 
watched a sudden rush carry away her supporting-bank, and the 
poor thing looked up in despair, as, one after another, her eggs 
rolled into the stream. A Eijian rushed to the rescue up to his 
waist in water, saved the last six, and carried them and her off to 
the kitchen for safety, but she declines to sit on the surviving 
eggs. 

A fresh access of storm. My door has just blown violently 
open. We are putting up hurricane-bars, and expect to have an 
anxious night. The new roof of the old house is leaking all over. 

March 1 7. — We have had a night of it, but as yet no hurricane. 
However, old hands tell us we cannot hope we are through the 
wood for ten days to come, after which we may count on six 
months of pleasant weather. The rainfall yesterday was 4 J inches, 
and all night the wind blew savagely; but the roof was very 
slightly damaged, and the stream kept in its proper channel. 
Xo harm was done, save that the boat-house was blown down. 
Luckily all the boats had been dragged up to the verandah for 
security. 

Last night at sunset we were watching a poor little cutter try- 



A GREAT CALM. 147 

ing to beat in at the passage through the coral-reef. Then we 
lost sight of her in the utter darkness. This morning we hear she 
did reach a passage farther along the coast, but struck the reef 
and went down like a shot. The men got to shore, but she and 
her hard-earned cargo are lost. Her story may interest you. She 
was the private property of a tribe near Khandavu, who had the 
sense to see the advantages of owning a ship for themselves. 
About eighty of the tribe bound themselves to work for three 
years on plantations in order to pay off her price ; and their long 
service has only just expired. So you see it is a serious loss to 
these poor folk. 

March 18. — After a storm a calm. To-day is a dead calm — 
not a ripple on the sea. We do not know whether it is merely a 
case of reculer pour mieux sender; but at all events, a vessel is to 
be despatched to-night to Khandavu on the chance of still being 
in time to catch the mail via Torres Straits. Anyhow, we hope 
we shall get some English letters, unless the storm blew the mail- 
steamers past us. We are rather anxious about Earon von Hugel, 
as he has for months been wandering about the mountains alone 
with natives, and a fortnight ago wrote that he was very ilL We 
expected him by the steamer to-day, but have no word of him. 



CHAPTER XV. 

GOVERNMENT HOUSE PETS CURIOS — CRABS NATIVE POLICE 

DEATH OF MRS DE RICCI. 

Nasova, March 23, 1876. 

Dear Nell, — We seem to have settled down to a quietly 
regular home-life, which really is very pleasant. When I think 
of the vile March winds which you are now enduring, and contrast 
them with our lovely mornings and evenings, when every breath 
is balm, I have only one exceeding longing, which is that you 
were here to share their luxury. Now that everything is well 
established, the house moves like a clock, of which Abbey and his 
wife are the mainspring. They have trained a set of Fijians to 
wait at table really admirably ; they move gracefully and quickly, 
and look exceedingly handsome in a uniform Lady Gordon has 



148 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

devised. Simply a white kilt and shirt, trimmed with crimson, 
with short sleeves and square-cut neck, to show a large boar's 
tooth against the clear brown throat. Then Sir Arthur has im- 
ported a Hindoo cook, and two excellent Hindoo valets, who are 
also upper housemaids. The rest of the household includes labour- 
boys of every colour and nation. We adhere to regular English 
hours — that is to say, coffee is brought to our rooms at seven a.m.. 
and breakfast follows about nine ; luncheon at one, tea at five, 
dinner soon after seven. There is no particular reason for having 
it later, as it is always dark by six. 

I must tell you of one triumph of common-sense in the adoption, 
by Sir Arthur and all his staff, of what we call the ISTasova uni- 
form — namely, dispensing with the misery of a coat, and sub- 
stituting a bright-coloured silken waist-sasli for braces : now all 
the gentlemen look fresh and cool. It is a very sad evening when 
first a new man-of-war comes in, especially one of some foreign 
nation, and the presence of punctilious strangers involves full 
dress. But as soon as ever friendly relations are established, they, 
too, are privileged to adopt this comfortable costume, greatly to 
their own satisfaction. 

At present H.M.S. Nymphe and H.M.S. Sapphire are both in 
harbour. Our cousin, Captain Grant Suttie, commands the former, 
and Mr Gordon's brother, Cosmo, is her first lieutenant. Captain 
Murray commands the Sapphire, and prides himself, as well he 
may, on the perfection of her every detail. His own cabins are 
exquisitely dainty in every respect; and Jack and J^evil are 
devoted to the lovely silky spaniels which are his inseparable 
companions. Their own particular little black-and-tan terrier 
Snip, has a child almost as big as itself, by name Bones. It has 
attached itself to me ; and now the family is further increased by 
a fat and sportive puppy, of which Bones stands in great awe. 

Sir Arthur has now acquired all manner of parrots — green and 
yellow, scarlet and black and purple — which wander all over the 
place. The most exquisite of all are the Kulas, tiny miniature 
parrots, combining green, scarlet, and purple in their gem-like 
plumage, and capable of being so thoroughly tamed that we have 
had them walking about the table at breakfast, climbing over the 
flowers, or sitting on our fingers, caressing us with their little rough 
tongues, and eating brown sugar and water, which, I believe, is 
the only safe food to give them. They are plucky little birds, and 
walk about the verandah on guard, and drive away the great big 1 
ducks, who stand in much awe of them. Thev also fight with the 



FIJIAN POTTERY. 149 

beautiful wee kingfisher. The latter is useful in the way of killing 
cockroaches. The other day Abbey observed one of the laughing- 
jackasses half choking with the effort to swallow something, and 
going to the rescue found the dear little kingfisher half-way down 
its throat ; neither seemed any the worse, however. A few days 
afterwards he again heard a scuffle, and found both the jackasses 
trying to swallow the same rat ; as neither would yield its prize, 
he carried out Solomon's judgment with good effect, and both were 
satisfied ! 

I have been very busy for some time in painting careful studies 
of all the best objects of native art which come to any of us in 
our several collections. All the different patterns of carved bowls, 
with or without curiously shaped legs — some for oil, some for 
drink; all the multiform clubs and spears; all curious necklaces 
and ornaments ; and a wonderful variety of wooden pillows. It is 
really a very interesting occupation, and now I am beginning to 
make drawings of every piece of pottery that any one of us acquires. 
I determined to do this, both because the pieces are so brittle that 
comparatively few will reach England in safety even with most 
careful packing, and also because, as each old woman works just 
according to her own fancy, the best pieces, many of which are 
really most artistic, are never made in duplicate — at all events it is 
rarely possible to obtain a second, and things made to order are 
utter failures. 

Lady Gordon has had large shelves made at one end of the 
drawing-room, on which are placed some of our finest specimens of 
pottery, and very handsome they are, of rich greenish yellow and 
red, glazed with resin. For anti-macassars and sofa-covers we have 
handsome white native cloth, with rich brown pattern. And in- 
stead of a carpet, one large cool mat, on one corner of which Jack 
and Nevil (and any of their grown-up friends whom they can en- 
trap) build vast castles with large wooden bricks. which have just 
been made here. The dining-room is now beautifully decorated 
with trophies of spears and clubs, and great bowls, and native 
cloth. The house is all so thoroughly in keeping with the country ; 
so infinitely preferable to any attempt at making a Europeanised 
" Government House," and so much more suitable to Sir Arthur's 
role of premier chief of Fiji. 

There are one or two minor points, hoAvever, on which we should 
be better pleased if our home was not so purely Fijian; if, for 
instance, it were not so very attractive to the crabs — a family 
which share all a Briton's love for travelling and inspecting the 



150 AT HOME W FIJI. 

homes of other races. Here they bravely leave theii native shore, 
and walk inland, wherever faDcy leads them; and this, I regret to 
say, is frequently into our bedrooms, where they find hiding-places 
in dark corners behind boxes and portfolios, whence at night they 
sally forth to make further researches, clattering their shell-armour 
against the woodwork, occasionally knocking down something 
which wakens us with a sudden start, and up we spring to find 
perhaps a great broad-backed chap like a ' parten " brandishing 
his powerful claws within a few inches of our unprotected toes. 
Then follows an exciting chase — a regular came at hide-and- 
seek — which probably awakens some of our sleeping neighbours, 
greatly to their disgust. Of course it results in the capture of the 
intruder, but then comes the question what to do with him. I 
cannot bring myself to stab him with a spine of cocoa-nut leaf, as 
the Fijian girls do (piercing him beneath the main claw, which is 
his only vulnerable point) ; so I carry him down to the stream and 
throw him in, hoping he will travel back to the sea. I have had 
many such nocturnal adventures, and confess that I wish the in- 
quisitive crabs would stay at home. 

Not that these are by any means the only members of the crab 
family which explore our abodes. Nowhere have I seen such a 
number of hermit-crabs as swarm on these isles, occupying every 
shell on the beach, from the least to the greatest. There are liter- 
ally myriads of them, and sometimes the whole shore appears to 
be moving. But these errant hermits .are by no means content to 
remain on the sea-beach, — they wander far up the valleys, and meet 
us in most unexpected places, carrying their borrowed homes with 
them ; and we occasionally find them creeping up our mosquito- 
nets, and in other equally startling hiding-places. 

There are also land-crabs which climb the tall cocoa-nut palms, 
and feed on the nuts, tearing them open with strong unpleasant- 
looking pincers. And one kind is more troublesome than an Eng- 
lish mole or rabbit, from the aggravating manner in which it bur- 
rows in the ground, making such innumerable holes as to render 
any bit of grass quite honeycombed. It would be very dangerous 
to ride on. 

But by far the most attractive members of the crab family are 
those which inhabit such muddy shores as those of Suva harbour, 
near the mouths of the rivers, where they were to me an unfailing 
source of amusement. I spent hours watching them stealing cau- 
tiously out of their holes when they were sure the coast was clear, 
but darting back like a flash of lightning at the faintest movement 



CRABS. 151 

of any living thing, even the vibration of the most cautious foot- 
step. But if I waited very patiently and motionless, they presently 
reappeared one by one, till all along the shore I saw their strange 
bright-coloured claws waving aimlessly in the air. These crabs are 
tiny creatures, whose whole body rarely exceeds an inch in diam- 
eter; but they own one huge claw as large as their whole body, 
and when feeding they hold this up as a guard, as if shielding their 
eyes, while with a tiny one they gather up their food on the shore, 
lifting an atom at a time into their mouth. This large pincer is 
invariably of some bright colour — yellow, rose-colour, or scarlet — 
while the rest of the body is black and white, purply, or brown. 
You cannot think how curious it is to see the whole shore dotted 
with these waving yellow claws, which, on the very slightest move- 
ment on your part, vanish in the twinkling of an eye, and leave 
you standing alone on a dull expanse of brown mud, without a 
symptom to suggest the existence of this great army of crabs. 

How delighted Ran would be if he could only see the daring 
little bronze lizards, with bright blue tails, which keep darting 
about the verandah and all about the rooms. I am sitting on a 
long wicker-chair, and a big lizard and a little one have been play- 
ing hide-and-seek for the last two hours, the little one darting in 
and out through the holes in the wicker-work, sometimes at my 
back, sometimes darting under the chair and reappearing in front : 
sometimes I catch a glimpse of a head whose diamond eyes peep 
through the little round holes in the wicker ; then a bit of blue 
tail just reveals itself; sometimes it hides in the folds of my dress. 
Altogether it is one of a family of great darlings. 

Eesides these various strange creatures, we find continual amuse- 
ment in watching the various natives who are constantly about the 
place. A detachment of the native police live in several cottages 
just on the other side of the vara, which is a small piece of rather 
level grass (a most rare and valuable possession). Here they drill 
morning and evening in correct European style ; but I hope the 
word police will not suggest to you visions of the British " bobby." 
These are a most picturesque force, and supply the Governor's 
guard, boat-crews, orderlies, &c. We are such near neighbours 
that we hear their yangona mekes, whenever they brew their be- 
loved grog ; and we also have full benefit of morning and evening 
church parade and lotu. They have their own chaplain. 

Some of them are exceedingly fine men, with strong muscular 
frame and good features, set off by a splendid head of frizzy hair, 
which, I am happy to say, Captain Knollys encourages them to 



152 AT HOME IX FIJI. 

grow long. Of course it does not approach the gigantic mop of 
heathen days, but still it is very large and carefully groomed. 
They periodically dip the whole in coral-lime, and go about for a 
day or two white-headed ; and very becoming it is to them. I 
cannot speak of this as of one of the mysteries of the toilet, for the 
washing is done in public. The girls when undergoing this process 
look like court beauties got up for a fancy ball ; and as for the 
men, we might almost think we had a staff of powdered footmen, 
were it not for a scarlet hybiscus or tuft of coloured grass know- 
ingly stuck in on one side ; I even sometimes see one long cock's 
feather. When the lime is washed off, the hair, now beautifully 
clean, is combed out to its full length, and while the roots retain 
their rich brown, the outer locks vary from a warm russet to a 
tawny yellow, according to the quality of the lime. Both colours 
harmonise well with the rich brown madder tone of the skin. This 
also varies, ranging through senna to clear olive in the men of 
Tongan or Samoan blood. The hair and body next share a coating 
of cocoa-nut oil, and not till you have seen this applied can you 
realise the force of the expression, " Oil to make him of a cheerful 
countenance." A Fijian who, from poverty or other cause, has 
failed to oil himself, is a most wretched-looking creature. 

We have had a good many visits lately from different chiefs, 
several of whom have come to formal dinners, and have got through 
that ordeal in the most creditable manner. I should think that 
sitting on chairs for two hours, during a long series of courses of 
strange dishes, eaten with unwonted knives and forks, must be very 
trying to them ; but they are so well bred, that they never allow 
themselves to appear bored, nor do they make any mistakes, — and 
of course the Fijian servants are on the alert to help them out of 
any dilemma ; besides, at least one of the Governor's interpreters is 
always of the party. Some of the ladies have been asked to dine, 
but have invariably excused themselves. They do not mind com- 
ing to luncheon, which is less alarming, and occasionally bring 
pretty children, — greatly to little Jack's delight. He does love 
babies ! JSTevil rather despises them. A few days ago a party of 
Fijian ladies were caught in a tropical shower, just as they reached 
the house. All their pretty native finery was destroyed ; but we 
found no difficulty about supplying dry clothing, as so little was 
L-cquired. Lady Gordon gave the principal lady a new shawl to 
vvear as a sulu, and begged her to accept it, which she did with 
great satisfaction. 

I forgot to tell you of one very pretty expedition I had last 



ISLE OF NAINGANI. 153 

week. Dr Micgregor had to visit the isle of Naingani to see if it 
would do for a quarantine station, so he asked me to go with him. 
He had the harbour -master's boat, manned by six wild-looking 
Solomon Island and New Britain boatmen. Three hours' steady 
rowing brought us to a pretty isle, with white coral shore, haunted 
by myriads of hermit-crabs, and overshadowed by very fine old 
ndelo trees. We lunched beside a pool of fresh water on the shore, 
and found two good streamlets. The people seemed very poor. 
The coral - patches were lovely, and I found much amusement 
watching black and yellow sea slugs, with heads like flowers, and 
black and white star-fish. Then I sketched the great trees, while the 
doctor did his inspection; after which we had a lovely row home. 

There is a good deal of sickness going about just now. Amongst 
other sufferers is old Mrs Floyd, the mother of our parson, who has 
nursed her with such unwearied devotion, that now he is quite 
worn out. So last Sunday Captain Havelock undertook both ser- 
vices. He makes a first-rate chaplain. 

I have just been up the hill with Mrs Havelock. We sat under 
the shadow of a great rock, with breezy sunshine all round us, 
and the lovely harbour below. I wished you had been sitting- 
there with me. We watched the glowing sunset colours, though 
we were facing due east. Every morning we see the sun rise out 
of the sea ; and at night we sit out in the starlight and watch the 
Great Bear, which appears just over Levuka, and is very brilliant. 
It seems strange, does it not, that we, so low in the southern hemi- 
sphere, should look on such a familiar reminder of home 1 

We have had a sad death in the family from gluttony ! One of 
the omnivorous laughing-jackasses contrived to catch Mrs Abbey's 
pet canary, and swallowed it, feathers and all. Strange to say, 
this actually proved too much for its digestion — or rather for its 
throat, for it died of suffocation. We shall hear its derisive laugh- 
ter no more. Alas, poor jackass ! 

The English mail has just brought me a budget of home-letters, 
and news of many matters that come to us as vivid reminders of 
the far-away grey isles, which I do sometimes long to see, for the 
sake of the many warm hearts they contain, — not that I find these 
lacking in any corner of the earth. Good-bye, darling. — Your 
loving sister. 

Fiji, March 29, 187G. 

Dearest Nell, — I have just received, and greatly enjoyed, my 
budget of home-letters. ... At present I am staying in Levuka, 



154 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

nursing my pretty, nice little friend, Mrs de Eicci, who has a very [ 
severe attack of fever. She has been for ten days in great danger, f 
and is even now in high delirium. She and I have been great 
friends ever since we first met in Sydney; for she is a bright 
sunny little woman, always ready to make the best of everything. 
Her husband is the Attorney- General here ; but their household, 
like most others in this land of discomfort, consists of a rough 
Irish girleen and an unkempt Fijian lad ; so when the bonny little 
woman was taken very ill, Dr Macgregor came to see if I would go 
to help for a night. I have stayed on ever since, as she knows me 
through her delirium, and is content generally to do what I ask 
her. So hitherto we have rejected the various kind offers of help 
from friendly neighbours, and have divided- the watches between 
us, and so manage very well. Nursing is much simplified in the 
tropics, where you have not to think about fires, happing up clothes, 
and keeping out draughts. On the other hand, nothing will keep, 
and your milk and beef -tea and chicken-broth go bad almost before 
you can use them. Our patient has to eat something every hour ; 
and sometimes it is difficult to keep things fresh. However, I 
think she is getting on pretty well. 

Nasova, Sunday, April 2. 

Alas ! our watching proved in vain. Yesterday morning, in the 
grey dawn, the sweet soul passed quietly away, unconsciously and 
without pain, in her early spring-time. She was only twenty-two. 
She had battled through the fever and subsequent dysentery, and 
we thought all danger was over, when suddenly a change for the 
worse set in, and it became evident there was no hope. We have 
the comfort of knowing that if human skill could have availed to 
keep her here, we certainly had excellent medical advice, having 
two very clever doctors — Macgregor and Mayo — in constant atten- 
dance, and two more in consultation. . . . Her one regret, since 
she arrived here, was that she had left her only child in England 
— a lovely little fellow, aged three. She has missed him sorely. 
Now we are glad to think that he is safe at home. ... At sun- 
. set we laid her to rest, under the shadow of a great boulder of red 
rock, on a headland overlooking the sea, with palms and wild-citron 
trees and tall reedy grass all round, — a most lovely spot, especially 
at sunrise, when the sun comes up out of the sea — or in the 
beautiful moonlight. I found it oue day while exploring the bush 
round the cemetery. It is within its boundaries, yet quite apart. 
Captain Knollys had a narrow path cleared yesterday leading to it. 



" CI EIVEDREMO." 155 

The evening was dreary beyond description. The sea and sky 
were leaden. We had the first part of the service in church by 
candle-light. Mr Maudslay had made a lovely cross of white 
flowers, which lay on the coffin. By the time we came out it was 
quite dark, and we stumbled along the wretched path through the 
town to the shore, where boats were waiting. Of course we were 
all present, and sad enough, as you may well believe ; for this is a 
heavy cloud for our small community. 

It is two miles from the church to the cemetery (which lies a 
mile beyond JSasova). Happily it did not rain while we were 
going, but previous downpours had made the steep clay path lead- 
ing up to the hill from the sea-beach so slippery, that it was all 
the sailors could do to carry the coffin (Captain Grant Suttie had 
sent his boats and men from the Nymphe). The service was read 
by the dim light of a lantern, and was scarcely ended when the 
rain fell in torrents — a dismal night indeed. . . . 

To-day is clear and beautiful. Arthur Gordon went up the hill 
to search for lovely mosses, and Baron von Hiigel and I made a 
large cross of ferns, white silky grass, and scarlet balsams, which 
we carried to the now sacred headland — one more spot of earth to 
recall our favourite motto, Ci rivedremo. 1 To-morrow a tall rude 
cross of cocoa-nut palm will be placed there, to mark the spot, till 
a permanent one of granite can come from England. On this 
island there is no stone suitable for the purpose, — nothing but 
coarse conglomerate. I do not need to tell you how closely this 
has touched us all, and tended to draw us together. One of our 
little sisterhood already gone, in her very prime. . . . Her 
husband returns to England by the first steamer to see his child. 

Sir William and Lady Hackett are also to leave almost immedi- 
ately, he having been appointed a judge of the Supreme Court in 
Ceylon. 2 . . . 

Nasova, April 6. 

I have just received a most kind letter from the Langhams, who 
are going for a month's cruise among the small isles in the centre 
of the group. They go in the mission-ship the Jubilee, and invite 



1 " We shall meet again." 

8 A few weeks alter his arrival in Ceylon, Sir William Hackett died at the dreary- 
rest-house in Newera Elya. Enfeebled by long residence in the tropics, he was 
unable to rally from an attack of illness which he deemed too trivial for care. So 
passed away a just, judge, and a man who had made himself greatly respected in 
the little infant colony,' whose code of laws he had been selected to draw up and 
administer. 



156 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

me to go with them. Of course I have accepted gladly; and the 
fact of the mission-house at Bau being thus left empty is such a 
grand chance of a change for Lady Gordon and the chicks, that 
the Governor has asked for the loan of it, which has been cordially 
granted, and Mrs Havelock will accompany them. 

We all felt that after such a trying time a change of scene would 
be very desirable ; but one of the many drawbacks of this colony 
is, that there is literally no place to which ladies and children can 
go for a few days, unless such a chance as this occurs. Even the 
wretched house which Sir Arthur rented at Suva last December is 
now turned into a public-house, where we could not stay again ; 
and however hospitably inclined our white neighbours may be, 
there are probably not half-a-dozen in the whole group who have 
even one spare room. So it happens that neither Mrs Havelock, 
Lady Hackett, Mrs Macgregor (nor dear little Mrs de Eicci), have 
had one day's absence from Levuka since they landed here in July. 

I believe the real secret of preserving health in this climate is 
frequent change of air, and, as you know, I have been pretty con- 
stantly on the move. But it is not every lady who could enjoy 
the sort of prolonged gipsy or picnic life as much as I do. Now 
we are starting to try it in a new phase. 

H.M.S. Barracouta has just come into harbour, and Captain 
Stevens dined here last night. He unfortunately got mixed in 
the Samoan difficulties, and has brought Colonel Steinberger here 
as a prisoner, which is rather embarrassing. A few days ago a 
barque arrived here from Samoa, bringing eight wounded sailors 
belonging to the Barracouta. They got into an apparently sense- 
less row with the natives, in which three blue-jackets were killed. 
Doubtless this will involve some further complication. 



CHAPTEE XVL 

GOOD FRIDAY IN FIJI — ISLE KORO— PLANTERS' HOUSES — LABOUR— MARINO 
NATIVE CLOTH — GREAT FEASTS — WEDDINGS — SALARIES OF WESLEYAN 
MISSIONARIES AND TEACHERS. 

Namathu, Isle of Koro, 
Good Friday, 1876. 

Dear Nell, — It is raining heavily, and the wind is foul, and 
the Jubilee has had to run to safer anchorage, otherwise we were 



A PRECIOUS STONE. 157 

to havt started this afternoon, to spend Easter on another island. 
I cannot say I regret the detention, as our surroundings here are 
pleasant and peaceful, and it is time I sent you a report of my 
wanderings. 

This day last year we were all in Paris, and spent the whole 
day in solemn crowded churches — La Madelaine and St Roch, — and 
at the latter, after the office of Les Tenebres, I followed the stream 
of people into the small dark chapel of the Entombment, where the 
sole ray of light falls on the sepulchre, and on the strangely life- 
like groups of sculpture on either side, representing the Crucifixion 
and the Entombment, all the figures life-size. A most impressive 
scene. 

Very different are our surroundings to-day, housed in a large 
cool native house, the home of Isaaki, a fine old native minister, 
who has charge of this beautiful island. It is an unusually nice 
house, having actually two distinct rooms, so it is an easy matter 
to partition the inner one, and thus we each have a really cosy 
little nest, which is the more agreeable as this place is an im- 
portant centre, and we have been here for five days. Wonderful 
to tell, the house has wooden doors, but it is a strange thing in a 
country so richly wooded as this to see that, owing to the scarcity 
of planks, all the doors are made of old, battered, and worm-eaten 
canoes ; so also are the bridges, in those rare cases where anything 
is provided more elaborate than the slippery stem of a cocoa-palm. 
Stranger still is it to hear that in many of these beautiful isles 
stone is so rare that, when some time ago a white settler had pro- 
cured a sandstone slab to place on a grave, the people came from 
miles round to sharpen their knives on it ! The principal charm 
of this house is that it stands a little way apart from the village!, 
on a quiet coral shore, close by the sea, with palms and other trees 
round it, and in this respect is a perfect paradise compared with 
some places, Avhere our night quarters have been in some stuffy 
overcrowded house, in the very heart of the village. 

There is a fine church here (just a large native house, thatched 
and matted, with open doors all round it, which is by far the most 
suitable style of architecture for this climate), and this morning 
there was a crowded attendance. I stayed at home, knowing that 
the service would be very long ; and the sound of a voice, or voices, 
speaking continuously in an unknown tongue, becomes exceedingly 
wearisome after a time, especially when the novel interest of watch- 
ing the undulating pavement of tawhy heads, brown backs, and 
white sulus has worn off. 



L58 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

I told you how kindly the Langhams offered to call for me at 
Levuka, and take me with them on this cruise in the mission-ship 
Jubilee, which is a 50-ton schooner. We started from jNasova at 
daybreak on April 8th, intending to go to the isle Nairai, but 
finding the wind favourable for Koro came here instead. Mrs 
Langham and I were both very sick all day, and very thankful 
when at sunset, we anchored off a village called Nambuna, where 
the teacher gave us entire possession of his small but tidy house, 
close to the sea, and embowered in tall plantains and cocoa-palms, 
and, moreover, enclosed by a fence made of tree-fern stems. Here 
we spent Palm Sunday, and had service under the shady ndawa 
trees, which are like large walnut-trees, with young red leaves. It 
was a very pretty scene. Also it was the first time I had been 
present at an ojDen-air celebration of the Holy Communion, and 
this devout congregation of gentle savages, kneeling so reverently 
on the grassy sward, beside the calm blue sea, made our Palm 
Sunday service for 1876 one much to be remembered. In the 
evening we had an English service, to which came several planters 
and their families ; and we walked home with one lady along the 
white shore in the clear bright moonlight. It was most lovely. 
The foliage is much richer than on Ovalau; and there are such 
good paths along the shore that riding would be delightful, if there 
were any horses. 

We left l^anibuna the following morning in a rowing-boat, but 
owing to sundry delays lost the high tide, and only got on at all 
by most careful steering through intricate patches of lovely coral. 
Every few minutes we found ourselves in such shallow water that 
all the crew had to jump overboard; Mr Langham and a friend did 
likewise, not expecting to go above the knee, but before they could 
get in again they were over the waist ! Finally, we fairly stuck, 
and the boat had to wait for the tide^ while we were carried ashore, 
and walked on to the next village. 

We met a good many planters hereabouts,— all poor, many of 
them having sunk quite large fortunes on their plantations when 
Fijian cotton was selling at very high prices. $"ow they are sadly 
down-hearted ; and many seem grievously disappointed that annexa- 
tion, so far from working miracles of healing for shattered fortunes, 
appears for the present to have only added to their difficulties in 
many ways. But all were very kind to us, and seem cheered by 
even a glimpse of faces from the outer world. We called at Mr 
Chalmers's very pretty estate, and he showed us all over his cocoa- 
nut fibre-works. He grows cotton and maize, but his principal 






FOREIGN LABOUE. 159 

crop is red and white arrowroot, which we saw in all stages of pre- 
paration. Then climbing a very steep path, we Avere welcomed 
by his pretty refined wife and daughters —bright handsome girls. 
They gave us tea with milk, though their goat only yields about a 
tumbler for the whole family, including several children. Certainly 
life on a Fijian plantation does not mean luxury, or rather it means 
such hardships as you, I am certain, cannot realise. Butcher-meat 
unattainable ; poultry and eggs too precious for domestic use ; fish- 
supply rare ; fruit, as a rule, nil ; even flour and groceries apt to 
run short. Daily fare consists of native vegetables, and perhaps a 
barrel of salt meat, — not an appetising diet, nor one to tempt a 
jaded palate, nor yet easily varied. Of course the importation of 
all sorts of preserved meats and fruits makes provisioning an easy 
matter for occasional travellers, but their constant use in a large 
family does not tend to economy. 

We heard abundant instances of the invariable ill-luck which 
seems to attend all efforts at improvement in this unfortunate 
country. At one house where we called, the owner, Mr Morey, 
had recently imported some valuable fowls. He discovered, when 
too late, that they were tainted with disease, which rapidly spread, 
and his own stock of two hundred fowls all died, besides turkeys, 
ducks, and guinea-fowl. We found his wife suffering torture from 
a form of ophthalmia which is very common in this country, known 
as theeka, from which, for the time, she was positively blind. 
Happily Mr Langham's medical skill proved useful in relieving 
her agony. One gentleman whom we met was suffering severely 
from an illness called waanganga, which causes the muscles of the 
arm to contract in such a manner that for several days you cannot 
bend it. 

At one plantation we found an unpleasant instance of a state of 
things common enough hitherto, but now happily becoming impos- 
sible, as fast as the new order of law can make it so : A plan- 
tation worked by foreign labour, who declare that they were all 
kidnapped under circumstances of varied brutality, from the isles 
of Santo, Solomon, &c, and who have been illegally detained here 
for six years without receiving any pay. (The law provides for 
their being sent home after three years, with full pay.) Now an 
additional six months have slipped away, during which they have 
been detained, week by week, buoyed up by vain promises, and 
seeing men on neighbouring estates receiving a shilling a-week for 
every week they are detained, waiting for a ship to take them home. 
Naturally they are savage and sullen by turns, and repeatedly 



160 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

threaten the life of the young man left in charge of the estate, in 
the absence of the principal. He tells them that if they kill him 
they will be hanged for murder ; but they say they would just as 
soon be hanged as live on in slavery. 

One says he left his wife and six children the morning he went 
with his best pig to trade Avith the great ship; some say their 
canoes were smashed by heavy weights dropped from the ship, 
which left them helpless and at the mercy (i) of the white men ; 
others say they were inveigled on board to see machinery and other 
strange sights, and when they came on deck the land lay miles 
behind them. Some weeks ago one of them threw a spear at the 
young overseer. It was caught and checked by another man ; but 
on his threatening the culprit with a licking, the whole body rose 
en masse, and in the dead of night came and took possession of his 
verandah, where he heard them all night consulting whether to kill 
him or not. Just before our arrival, two men rushed at him with 
knives, and he had just time to retreat to his house and snatch up 
an (unloaded) revolver, whereupon they retired. ISTow he has paci- 
fied them for the moment by distributing sulus, off a bale of cloth 
sent up by his employer to barter for copjjra (the men were literally 
naked) ; and he further promises to take a number of them to 
Levuka next week to tell their own story to the immigration agent. 
Do not such cases as these suggest plainly enough what deep wrongs 
to be avenged have led to such grievous results as the murder of 
Commodore Goodenough or Bishop Patteson 1 

Even with respect to the Fijians, I am sorry to say that the nice- 
ness of the natives depends greatly on how few whites they see. 
The inhabitants of the isles frequented by whites are immeasurably 
inferior to those in more remote districts, and far less trustworthy. 

Our next halt was at ISasau, a very pretty village on the shore, 
beneath palms and other foliage, with a steep wooded hill just be- 
hind it, and a carefully kept burial-ground with red-leaved plants 
on the graves. But I think the night was the most unpleasant we 
have spent in Fiji. The house given to us was in the very middle 
of the village, and so small as to have only one door and one small 
window, both of which were continually blocked up by a crowd of 
gaping spectators, who, contrary to all Fijian manners, would not 
go away even when we were vainly attempting to sleep. Unfor- 
tunately for us, a child died in a large house next door to us, and 
the whole night was devoted to doing honour to the parents. So 
while the mother and other women wailed at the top of their voices, 
the young folk danced in a circle in front of the house, singing 



. 



NATIVE MANUFACTURES. 161 

their usual songs. This went on the whole night. You can fancy 
we did not sleep much ! In the morning I went to the door of 
the house, where the family appeared as cheerful as usual, and 
pleasantly invited me to enter. In so doing I narrowly escaped 
treading on a mat at the doorway, which I then discovered was 
thrown over the dead child, a five-year-old little one. 

School and church service being over, I walked along the shore 
with Mrs Langham. It is a lovely coast, shaded by grand old 
trees, with here and there rich masses of creepers, which climb all 
over them, so that a group of a dozen eevie trees appears like one 
gigantic mass of lovely trailing foliage. AVe saw a whole valley 
clothed with the great white convolvulus, which is excellent food 
for cattle. The leaves take every shade of metallic green, yellow, 
and bronze, and this effect is wonderfully lustrous. 

Isaaki, the venerable grey-haired minister, came to meet and 
welcome us. He is a very fine-looking old man, dignified and 
gentle, a striking contrast to a large number of Kai Tholos — i.e., 
mountain people — who were sent here as prisoners by the late 
Government, and who do look most miserable objects now. They 
will soon be sent back to their own district. The women are 
much and hideously tattooed round the mouth and all over the lips 
and about the shoulders, and their only clothing is a fringe of dried 
grass. The women of the coast happily indulge in an exceedingly 
small display of tattooing. Somfe have slight patterns on the hands 
and arms, which are considered attractive, but the majority only 
submitted to so much as was compulsory. 1 

I have been much interested in watching various native manu- 
factures. In one village called iSTatheva — i.e., the South — the 
women were making dresses of the streamers of pandanus, brightly 
dyed, and others were plaiting mats made of tall flags or reeds, 
which they cut into strips with a sharp shell. In another village 
I sat in the chief's house watching the girls rasping sandal-wood 
with which to powder their hair and scent their hair-oil. One girl 
held the stick, and another had a large piece of skin of the sting 
ray-fish, stretched over another stick so rough as to act like a file 
as she rubbed it over the sandal-wood. There was formerly a con- 
siderable amount of this fragrant wood in these isles, but ruthless 
traders have swept the land so thoroughly, without the slightest 

1 In old heathen clays the tattooing of a woman was as important and compuls^ry 
a religious ceremony as the circumcision of a lad. Special penalties in the future 
World awaited the woman who contrived to evade this rite. Retributive furies 
armed with sharp shells would fall on her and tear her flesh for ever and ever. 

L 



162 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

thought of sparing young saplings, that now the tree scarcely exists, 
and the smallest fragment is dearly prized. 

Wherever we go, we find the women busy preparing native cloth 
from the bark of the paper mulberry tree, which they take off in 
long strips and steep in water to make the fibre separate from the 
green outer bark, which is scraped off with a sharp shelL Then 
the fibre is laid on a wooden board and beaten with a mallet, which 
is grooved longitudinally. A strip two inches wide can be beaten 
out to upwards of a foot in width, when it becomes gauze-like, and 
is used for festal attire ; or else, dyed in burnt sugar and smoke- 
dried, it is a much-valued covering for the hair. But for general 
use, two strips of the wet fibre are beaten together, their own gluten 
causing them to adhere to one another; or if very strong cloth is 
required, three or even four thicknesses may be used. A number 
of such pieces are then neatly joined together with a glue made 
from the taro, or from arrowroot, and thus a piece can be made of any 
size or length required. Sometimes a great roll, a couple of hundred 
yards long, is prepared for presentation to a chief j or else a double 
square, twenty feet wide by perhaps thirty or forty in length, to be 
hung up as mosquito-curtains. The masi at this stage is of a creamy 
white colour, very becoming to the brown creatures who wear it. 

So far it simply answers to calico. If gorgeous apparel or hand- 
some furniture is required, it has next to be converted into painted 
tappa, and this is the prettiest part of the process, and requires 
considerable taste and skill. The patterns produced are exceedingly 
rich and handsome, generally in shades of brown, sometimes with 
black or deep red. I have seen pieces imported from Samoa in 
which a great deal of yellow is introduced ; but though the Samoan 
cloth is much stronger, it is less tasteful To sketch the design, 
the artist arranges thin strips of bamboo upon a convex board, and 
between them the pattern is indicated by curved bits of the midrib 
of a cocoa-nut leaf. The cloth is laid over this board and rubbed 
with a dye, which displays the pattern below, and thus the ground- 
work is prepared. Then the borders are very elaborately painted 
by a sort of stencil-work, the pattern being cut out of a banana 
leaf, heated over the fire, and laid on the masi. Then with a soft 
pad of cloth, dipped either in vegetable charcoal and water, or red 
earth liquefied with the sap of the candle-nut tree, or any other dye 
that takes her fancy, the artist does her work with deft neat fingers. 
I have succeeded in buying several small pieces of very beautiful 
design. The larger ones are generally being made by the order of 
some chief, or for some especial festivity. 






FIJIAN PUDDINGS. 163 

Another process which I have watched with considerable interest 
is that of the girls preparing mandrai, which is bread made of ban- 
anas and bread-fruit. A Fijian baker's oven is simply a pit lined 
with plantain leaves and filled with bananas or bread-fruit, on 
which the girls tread to compress them into a pulpy mass : this 
they then cover with a thick layer of green leaves and stones, and 
leave it to ferment, a process which begins about the third day. 
The indescribable stench which poisons the air for half-a-mile round 
on the day when these dreadful pits are opened is simply intoler- 
able, — at least to the uneducated nose of us, the papalangi {i.e., 
foreigners) ; but the Fijian inhales it with delight, therein scenting 
the bread and puddings in which he most delights. 

These puddings are sometimes made on a gigantic scale, on the 
occasion of any great gathering of the tribes. One has been de- 
scribed to me as measuring twenty feet in circumference ; and on 
the same occasion — namely, the marriage of old King Tanoa's 
daughter to Ngavindi, the chief of the fisherman tribe — there was 
one dish of green leaves prepared, ten feet long by five wide, on 
which were piled turtles and pigs roasted whole : there was also a 
wall of cooked fish, five feet in height and sixty feet long. The 
puddings are generally made of taro, cooked and pounded, and 
made into small lumps, which are baked, and afterwards all heaped 
in one great pit lined with banana leaves, and mixed up with sugar- 
cane juice and pounded cocoa-nut. I have been told about one 
great feast for which nineteen gigantic puddings were prepared, the 
two largest being respectively nineteen and twenty -one feet in 
circumference. Verily our familiar Scottish haggis must bow to 
those Fijian cousins, and confess himself to be no longer the 

" Great chieftain of the pudding race." 

Certainly the masses of food accumulated on these great days beat 
everything we have heard of even at ancient Scottish funeral 
feasts. Enormous ovens were prepared (they would be so still, at 
any great gathering of chiefs). They are simply great pits, perhaps 
ten feet deep and twenty in diameter, which are lined with firewood, 
on which is arranged a layer of stones : when these are heated the 
animals to be roasted are laid on them, with several hot stones in- 
side each to secure cooking throughout. Then comes a covering of 
leaves and earth, and the baking process completes itself. This, on 
a smaller scale, is the manner in which our daily pig is cooked. I 
have seen a bill of fare which included fifty pigs roasted whole, 
seventy baked turtles, fifteen tons of sweet pudding, fifty tons of 



164 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

yams and taro, and piles of yangona root, besides many trifling 
dainties. 1 

Happily for us, the puddings are not all nasty ; some are rather 
nice; and one preparation of arrowroot bread is excellent. Oar 
daily pork is not served here with the same unerring regularity as 
it was on our mountain trip, where we lived in an ever-present 
atmosphere of roast-pig, fatted-pig, or sucking-pig, as the case might 
be, — pig it was always. Here fish, and even fowl and occasional 
eggs, form a delightful variety; and of course we always have 
tinned provisions in case of need. 

One thing which I do not think I have yet mentioned, is that 
in every village there is invariably one large house called the bure, 
where all the young men sleep. It would be contrary to all notions 
of propriety that they should occupy the same house as the women, 
even their nearest relations. In fact, brothers and sisters, or 
brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, and various other near kinsfolk, 
are forbidden even to speak to one another, or to eat from the same 
dish. For a man to eat food left by a woman would be highly 
infra dig.; and to unroll a mat belonging to a woman, or to lie 
down upon it, would be the height of impropriety. The laws of 
affinity in regard to marriage are very curious. First cousins, who 
are children of brother and sister, may intermarry, but the children 
of two men who are full brothers may on no account do so, in- 
deed, may hardly speak to one another. Xo word exists to express 
uncle. All brothers are alike called father by their nephews, but 
the nephew has various rights greater than those of a son. In the 
matter of succession it is the brother, not the son, who succeeds as 
head of the family, and lie is succeeded by his brother ; finally, the 
succession reverts to the eldest son of the eldest brother. This 
order is, however, liable to modification by the rank of the mother, 
or the personal influence of the nephew, who enjoys most singular 
privileges. He is called a vasu, and in certain districts is allowed 

1 At a great meeting of chiefs at Bau in January 1880, on the return of Sir 
Arthur Gordon from England, the menu included 104 pigs and a large shark, cooked 
whole ; I suppose the latter is the modern substitute for the bokola of old days, 
without which a feast would have been thought poor indeed. The speech made 
by the Vuni Vain on this occasion is worthy of note. At the conclusion he said, 
addressing the still powerful chiefs : " Now you have plenty of money, the native 
officials receive their salaries regularly, the people are flourishing and have plenty 
of goods. You chief's are at rest mentally, not as of old. Need I ask you, Is it a 
good thing to be under Great Britain ? Would any one like to change again, I ask ? 
Let any one who will, speak, lest it should be said we have been deceived or robbed. 
It is not so. We still hold our positions. The chiefs still are chiefs, whilst the 
people are better off than they ever were before If we had not given ourselves to 
Great Britain, we should probably have been at war among ourselves long ago. 
Let no man say we have given away our rights. No ; we have secured them." 



\ 



WEDDINGS. 165 

the extraordinary prerogative of claiming anything he wishes which 
belongs to his uncle or the uncle's vassals, especially the uncle on 
the mother's side. If the nephew is a vasu levu — i.e., the son of a 
high-born woman by a high chief — there is practically no limit to 
the exactions to which he may subject his unfortunate uncle. He 
may appropriate his new canoe, his best garments, his valuable 
curtains, mats, club, necklace — whatever he covets; and the uncle 
has no redress, — the action is vaka Viti (custom of Fiji), and that 
argument is unanswerable. I have even heard of a nephew of a 
chief of Eewa who, having quarrelled with his uncle, exercised this 
right to the extent of seizing his store of gunpowder, and employing 
it against him. 

In the last few days there have been a great many weddings : 
and the people here are much more elaborately got up for the occa- 
sion than our friends in the mountains. Here both bride and 
bridegroom are swathed in so many yards of beautifully painted 
native cloth, that it is scarcely possible for them to move. As 
they could not walk any distance with this inconvenient weight of 
magnificence, those who come from other villages let their friends 
carry the wedding-garment, and then they dress under the trees 
beside the sea — a process which I have often watched with much 
interest. The cloth is rolled round the body in so many folds that 
the victim is simply a walking bale of stuff; besides this, great 
loops and folds are worn en panier, and a huge frill is so arranged 
as to stand up like a fan at the back. A train of eight or ten 
yards is carried by attendants ; and the effect produced is really 
very handsome and becoming, especially when several couples 
arrive at church simultaneously. Some have come in the evening 
by torchlight — the torches made of bundles of reeds, which blaze 
brightly — and the scene has been a very pretty one. 

We went one evening to a wedding-feast, hoping to see some of 
the old distinctive ceremonies, such as Mrs Langham remembers in 
old days. But the graceful customs have been abandoned, together 
with the unseemly, and the young couple simply sat together, par- 
took of pig and yam, and washed their hands in one bowl. The 
bride was the prettiest girl I have seen in Fiji. Her hair was 
powdered with finely-grated sandal-wood, and her wedding-dress 
consisted of folds of the finest gauze-like masi, crossed over each 
shoulder and under the breasts. One of the couples seemed to 
afford great amusement to the bystanders, — a very cheery little old 
maid was marrying a kindly-looking old man. They seemed quite 
happy about it themselves, so could afford to let the neighbours 



166 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

laugh. One poor young couple were not allowed to many, as, at 
the last moment, Mr Langham discovered that the damsel was a 
minor, and her father absent. 

"We were amused to see several brides and bridegrooms reappear, 
in simple attire, to take their place as scholars in the school-exam- 
inations, at which one charming brown baby appeared, toddling 
about, dressed in the cover of an old umbrella as its sulu ! All 
the babies have the quaintest shaven heads, with odd little tufts of 
hair left as fancy prompts. The little girls generally have a long 
lock left on one side, forming a dozen very tine plaits ; many are 
quite little dandies, in their small kilts of fine white masi, or Tur- 
key-red, and necklace of bright leaves, or the orange seed of the 
pandanus. Some are very fully attired in a scarlet pocket-handker- 
chief, tied across the breast, and forming a tiny petticoat. But the 
jolliest baby of all had no clothes at all, and could only just toddle ; 
but it gravely followed the others, and tried to do melee, and dance 
like the big ones, to the great delight of its parents. When a Fijian 
woman carries her child., it invariably sits astride on her hip, her 
arm clasping its little body. 

Yesterday. Mr Langham was busy the livelong day examining 
candidates for baptism, and holding a quarterly meeting of school 
teachers, from all parts of the isle. Mrs Langham had charge of 
all the wives ; so Mr Morey and his mother and sisters kindly came 
to fetch me in their boat, and took me to a very pretty village, called 
Mundoo, beside the sea, and backed by richly wooded cliffs. I got 
a sketch from a rocky headland, commanding a fine view ; and the 
old chief of the village sat by me, watching my work with keen 
interest. 

Easter Bay, 

Last Easter morning we embarked at Marseilles. What a busy, 
bustling day that was, — with all the inevitable fuss of a huge 
crowded ship starting on a long voyage ! I cannot say that this 
has been a very quiet day, though peaceful enough. 

There was a crowded early service in the church here ; and after 
breakfast Mr Morey brought his boat and took us all to Mundoo, 
the pretty village I told you of. There Mr Langham held service, 
after which he returned here for the afternoon work. I had a most 
lovely walk with the Morey s, and arrived here in time for an Eng- 
lish service. We are to embark to-morrow at dawa, so I will only 
add Good night. — Your loving sister. 

I am quite sorry to leave Koro, and dear old Isaaki laments 



VOYAGE TO NAIRAI. 167 

our departure quite pathetically ; but we are to visit all the vil- 
lages round the coast, while the Jubilee takes a run to other isles, 
on some work for the mission. 



Natauxoa, chief Town iu the Tsle Naibai, 
April 21st. 

We were ready before dawn, but had to walk a couple of miles 
along the coast to the point where the Jubilee was lying, and 
there found a native teacher, with his family and all their goods, 
waiting to be taken on board; and as there was only one tiny 
boat, it was 1 1 a.m. ere we sailed. Outside the reef there was a 
good deal of sea on, and we were both very sick all day, and 
could not get near Xairai. We spent a wretched night; for 
though there is a small cabin, it is so very stuffy that we prefer 
just lying on deck and making the best of it. At dawn we were 
still off the coast of beautiful Koro. We neared INairai in the 
afternoon, but the wind fell, and we could not make the difficult 
passage through the reef, which is six miles from the island ; so 
we had a second night lying on the deck, vainly seeking for a soft 
plank, and longing for the mats of the native houses. Happily 
the night was faultlessly lovely, and every cloud and star was 
mirrored in the glassy ocean. We lay watching the Southern 
Cross and the Great Bear ; and Venus sank as Jupiter rose, cast- 
ing long reflections of sparkling light. It does seem strange to 
look up night after night and see the old familiar atars, remember- 
ing how very nearly we are standing sole to sole, — at least we are 
within a week's run of New Zealand, which is the exact antipodes 
of Britain. You see we have gained twelve hours on you, and 
often think of you as just sitting down to breakfast when we are 
turning in for the night ! 

The singing at evening prayer on deck was actually pretty, — 
the Fijian teachers and the Botumah crew having nice voices. 
Our captain (Martin by name) comes from Heligoland. His 
opinion of life in Fiji is not high. " Ay ! it is the country for 
makeshifts ! " 

As the mention of our crew being Botumans probably conveys 
no definite idea to your mind, I may as well mention that Botu- 
mah is a little independent island lying by itself about three hun- 
dred miles to the north of Fiji, whi^h is the nearest inhabited 
land. 1 It is a volcanic isle, with several long-extinct craters, now 

1 I believe the annexation of Eotuniah to England has now been decided on. 



168 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

clothed with rich vegetation. It has a population of about four 
thousand ; but owing to the strong propensity of the people for a 
seafaring life, a large proportion of these are generally absent. 
They are a small race, and of a clear copper colour. The story of 
how the first tidings of Christianity were carried to this isle by 
Tongan teachers, — of the vigorous hold Avhich the new faith 
quickly took — of the virulent persecution that ensued — of the 
strongly rooted determination with which the converts held their 
ground, so that, when first visited by a white teacher, it was 
found that half the population were already professed Christians, 
who eagerly hailed his coming, — this story, I say, is one of the 
most remarkable episodes in the progress of Christianity in any 
part of the world. So I looked on these Eotumah men with 
especial interest as representatives of this people. 

The beautiful night wore away, and in the morning a kindly 
breeze sprang up and brought us straight to the passage, when, 
with a few tacks, we made this anchorage. The village is pretty 
enough, shadowed by large trees, actually on the shore; but the 
people seemed unhealthy, and the flies multitudinous, and the 
house prepared for us is buried in poor plantains, and is stuffy and 
damp. 

After due inspection, we determined on sleeping in the large 
matted church, close to the teacher's house, offered us. Of course 
it is otherwise quite empty, — save for a pulpit adorned with white 
shells. So we curtained off one end of it and there slept in peace, 
while just beyond our screens, Mr Langham was holding a meeting 
of all the native teachers on the island, — such a fine sensible body 
of men. Xext night there were four weddings, and so many 
friends assembled that we did not venture on rigging up our 
quarters till the very tedious ceremony was over, — tedious because 
of the amount of inquiry and cross-questioning involved, and dis- 
mally dark, as our one lantern was the sole light in the large dark 
church. So many strangers assembled from other villages that the 
teacher's house, where we were by way of living, was crammed ; 
so we had our breakfast in church, where I am now writing to you 
while waiting till the Jubilee is ready to sail, — the delay being 
caused by shipping the native minister and all his family, who go 
to another isle. AVe brought their successors with us. Also we 
take half-a-dozen lads, whose parents give them to the mission for 
special training at one of the institutions ; then if they prove to 
be good stuff they will be promoted to the training college, and 
gradually advance to be teachers, and perhaps eventually native 






NATIVE TEACHERS AND MINISTERS. 169 

ministers in charge of large districts. The organisation is most 
perfect, and spreads like a web over every remote corner of the 
isles, always excepting the still heathen mountain districts. 

The work of a native teacher is no sinecure. To begin with, he 
may be sent to a distant island, where the dialect is so different 
from his own that he has to begin by learning the language of the 
people. In this the men of Bau have a great advantage over all 
others, their speech being the standard of pure Fijian, in which, 
consequently, the Scriptures are published, so they are understood 
by all the people; but the Bau men are themselves sometimes 
sorely puzzled, just as you might be if addressed in broad York- 
shire or Somerset. There are about sixteen distinct dialects 
spoken in the group, some of which are as different as Spanish is 
from Portuguese. Once appointed to a district, the teacher has to 
hold school three mornings a- week for children, three evenings for 
adults, one week-day service with address, two Sunday services 
with sermon, and early prayer-meeting in church. He must con- 
duct daily morning and evening prayer in several houses ; must visit 
the sick; pray and read the Scriptures with them; look after the 
people generally ; bury the dead, and travel once a-week to report 
himself to the native minister, who perhaps lives at a considerable 
distance. 

His pay varies from ten to twenty shillings, paid quarterly in 
kind. Should the value of the gifts exceed the sum to which he 
is entitled (decided by stewards in each village), the surplus, which 
may be a few shillings, goes to eke out the _pay of a man in a 
poorer place. He is provided with a free house, and works in his 
own garden. His dinner is provided for him on Sunday. Once 
a-month an offering of food is made by the village, perhaps suffi- 
cient to last for a couple of days. And once a-year there may 
perhaps be an extra offering of yams. 

A native minister is entitled to receive twenty-five shillings 
a-quarter, and possibly a hundred yams as his annual offering, but 
this is rarely paid in full. He is subject to the law of the Wes- 
leyan Mission Society, which forbids a missionary to possess any 
land as private property, or to do any act of trade — i.e., buying to 
sell again. The salary he receives from the Society is £5 a-year, 
which is raised to £15 after fifteen years' service. I think it may 
interest you to see a sample of the manner in which the quarterly 
contributions for teachers is paid. For instance, here is a table of 
the offertory in each village on the isle of Ngau, one of the richer 
districts. Others, such as the Ra coast, give much less. The sum 



170 



AT HOME IN FIJI. 



here represented is the quarterly salary of both native minister and 
schoolmaster. 



Bottles of oil. 


Pieces of 
native cloth. 


Whales' 
teeth. 


Hanks of 

sinnet. 


Money. 


Total value. 


2 


12 


9 


8 


s. d. 
16 


£ 5. d. 
1 10 


— 


7 


— 


— 


— 


3 6 


5 gallons. 


5 


1 


— 


1 6 


8 


7 


2 


2 


1 basket. 


— 


13 


— 


2 


1 


3 


2 


8 


5 gallons. 


12 


— 


2 


— 


15 


— 


1 


3 


2 


12 6 


18 


1 


1 


7 


— 


6 


15 


— 


2 


4 


1 


8 


15 


3 


4 


6 


— 


15 6 


13 


3 


1 


2 


— 


6 


8 


— 


1 


— 


1 


6 6 


7 



I cannot say that a practical acquaintance with mission pay 
proves it to be of the very "fattening" character commonly sup- 
posed. All white missionaries, from the superintendent down- 
wards, alike receive from the Society £180 per annum. For every 
child they are allowed £12, 12s. a-year till they are sixteen years 
of age, and an educational grant of £12, 12s. from eight till sixteen 
years. The Society pays the extra insurance premium charged for 
Fiji up to £500 (i.e., £5 out of £16). And the insurance must 
be paid, being the sole provision for a widow. Thirty shillings 
a-year is allowed for medical stores for the whole family ; and for 
these the natives are continually asking, and are never refused. 
£3 extra is given in the event of a confinement. No yam-garden 
is allowed, but a free house is furnished, and about £12 is allowed 
to keep up a boat and crew for mission purposes. Goods are de- 
livered in Levuka freight free, and brought thence by the mission 
schooner Jubilee. After ten years' service a retiring pension of 
£40 a-year is allowed, rising to £60 after twenty years, when a 
gift of £50 is made to furnish a house. Forty years' service 
entitles a man to a pension of £140 a-year. A missionary may 
receive no offerings from the people for his own use. Marriage 



missionaries' incomes. 171 

and baptism fees, which are respectively 4s. and Is., are all handed 
over to the general fund for circuit expenses, such as providing 
canoes, &c. The yams, &c, given at school examinations are given 
to poor teachers, or to the lads at the training institution. It is 
compulsory on every missionary to pay £6, 6s. a-year to the Super- 
annuated Preachers' Fund, and £1, Is. a-year to the Educational 
Fund. Servants must be clothed and fed, and constant gifts of 
cloth, medicine, &c, made to poor teachers and others. 

You may judge from these particulars that a missionary's income 
is not on that excessively luxurious scale which you might suppose 
from reading the comments made by many travellers, who have 
been hospitably entertained at mission stations as much-honoured 
guests, for whom even the fatted calf has not been spared, and 
who (seeing the air of bright comfort and neatness prevailing 
around) have failed to give honour due to the careful and excel- 
lent housekeeping which could produce such admirable results 
with smaller means than are squandered in many a slatternly and 
slovenly household. 

Many even make this comfort the text for a discourse on the 
superiority of the Eomish missions, on the self-denial and ascetic 
lives of the priests, quite forgetting that in teaching such races as 
these, one of the most important objects is to give them the ex- 
ample of a happy loving home, bright with all pleasant influences 
of civilised life. 

To me one of the strangest things here is the unaccountable 
jealousy of the missionaries, and their marvellous influence with 
the people, which pervades all classes of white men, old residents 
and new-comers alike. To understand the position, you must re- 
collect that, forty years ago, two missionaries landed on these isles, 
to find them peopled by cannibals of the most vicious type. Every 
form of crime that the human mind can conceive reigned and ran 
riot ; and the few white settlers here were the worst type of rep- 
robates, who could find no other hiding-place; for the earliest 
founders of this colony were a number of convicts, who, about 
1804, escaped from New South Wales, and managed to reach 
Eiji, where, by free use of firearms, they made themselves dreaded, 
and the chiefs courted them' as useful allies in war ; So these 
desperadoes gained a footing in the isles, and amazed the Eijians 
themselves by the atrocity of their lives. One man, known as 
Paddy Connor, left fifty sons and daughters to inherit his virtues ! 

Such men as these had certainly not done much to smooth the 
way for Christian teachers ; yet in the forty years which have 



172 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

elapsed since the Wesleyan missionaries landed here, they have 
won over a population of upwards of a hundred thousand ferocious 
cannibals. They have trained an immense body of native teachers 
— established schools in every village. The people themselves 
have built churches all over the isles, each of which has a crowded 
congregation ; and there is scarcely a house which has not daily 
morning and evening family prayer — a sound never heard in the 
white men's houses; and of course the old vile customs are 
dropped, and Christian manners take their place. Such is the 
system of supervision by the teachers, that any breach of right 
living must be at once known, and visited by the moral displeasure 
of those whom the people most respect. 

This (and the fact that besides feeding and clothing- the native 
teachers, each village once a-year contributes to the general support 
of the mission) is the ground which white men take as an excuse 
for decrying the excellent missionaries. You hear of "their in- 
ordinate love of power " and " greediness ; " their excellent moral 
influence is simply " priestcraft ; " and though the speakers are 
invariably compelled to acknowledge the good work they have 
hitherto done, I have actually heard men in high position (who 
have never been beyond Levuka, nor set foot in a native church) 
speak as if that work was now finished, and it was high time the 
contributions of the people should be diverted from the support 
of the mission to the Government treasury ; in fact, as if every 
shilling paid to their teachers was so much of which Government 
is being defrauded. It is the old story of kicking over the ladder 
by which you have climbed. For most certainly, but for the mis- 
sionaries and their work here, England would have had small share 
in Fiji to-day. A questionable gain, I confess ! I must say I am 
greatly disgusted by the tone in which I hear this matter discussed, 
— not by any of our own party, however, for they, one and all, 
hold the mission in the very highest honour, and constantly attend 
the native services. 

As you may possibly hear echoes of the anti-mission howl on 
the subject of ecclesiastical exactions, you may remember that it is 
invariably raised by men whose own poverty is certainly not due 
to the extent of their almsgiving; also that the actual working 
expenses of this great mission (with its 900 churches and 1400 
schools, filled with ex-cannibals or their offspring) are between 
£4000 and £5000 a-year, a sum of which not above half has ever 
been collected in the isles, at the annual missionary meetings ; and 
in no case is there any offertory in church. Of course, in the 



ISLE NGTJA. 173 

earlier years the mission was entirely supported by England and 
the colonies, and Fiji gave no help at all; but, naturally, the 
parent society expects each fully established church to become 
self-supporting, and to do something in its turn to establish new 
missions in districts or isles yet more remote, that so the little 
grain may expand and become a wide-spreading tree. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

ISLE NGATT — MUD CRABS— ALBINOS— BATHING IN THE TROPICS — AN EARNEST 
CONGREGATION — A TYPICAL TILLAGE — FIJIAN STUDENTS — THE BURNT 
WATERS— A NARROW ESCAPE — WRECK OF THE FITZROY. 

In a Teacher's House at Vantjaso. 
Isle Ngau, April 26. 

Erom Narai we had a fine run over to this isle, which is a land 
of high hills, deeply scored with valleys, wooded on one side, 
grassy on the other (at least apparently so, really covered with tall 
reeds). They look golden green as light misty showers pass over 
them while the sun shines. A gusty wind sprang up just as we 
made the passage, and entailed a good deal of beating before we 
could reach our anchorage off Sawaieke, which is the chief town on 
this island. We had some difficulty in landing, as the tide was 
low, leaving a broad expanse of mud; and the shore is fringed 
with mangrove, which always implies rather a swampy situation. 
We found cosy quarters in the house of Ratu Hosea, the native 
minister, a chief by birth, and a fine man (at present suspended 
from his office because he was so unfortunate as to box the ears of 
a very aggravating wife, who happened to die soon afterwards ; so 
of course evil tongues gave him credit for having caused her death). 
In the church at Sawaieke all the beams are covered with tappa, 
with a pattern of large stars — very effective ; and I was reminded 
of the " mortification boards " in Scotch kirks by seeing a regular 
churchwarden's record, stating that "the doors and windows of 
this church cost 3000 yams \" 

I greatly enjoyed strolling along the shore here. A lovely path 
leads under great eevie trees and through groves of cocoa-palms, 
with young palms growing up so thickly under them as to form a 
network of fronds, with an undergrowth of tall grasses, casting a 



174 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

light shade, through which the sunlight flickered. All along the 
shore are little streams with muddy banks, perforated with holes 
made by tiny crabs, prettier than those we saw at Suva. Besides 
those with the one large scarlet claw, we saw some with black back, 
green-spotted, others with scarlet back and black body, some black 
and green, with all their claws and legs scarlet, and some with bits 
of blue and white — most fascinating little creatures. We caught 
some, in spite of the marvellous rapidity with which they vanished. 

Starting at early dawn in a big canoe, the men poled us along 
the coast to the next village, Navukailange, which was less muddy 
than the last, but the surroundings less pretty. A picturesque 
crowd had assembled for the school examination ; and a multitude 
of pigs of all colours and ages, with infant broods, pervaded the 
village, grunting cheerily. The same afternoon we visited two other 
villages. The tide was too low to allow the canoe to take us, so 
we walked along the beautiful shore by a good path, through rich 
wood, till we reached Yione. It was quite dark when we arrived, 
and we were very weary, but we went straight to the church, and 
there lay down to rest in peace, and presently the canoe arrived, 
having poled through the mangrove-swamp. A light was brought 
us, just a wick in an old sardine-box, and we made a cup of tea, 
without milk of course, and then the canoe brought us here, where 
we found good quarters in a teacher's house, close by the sea, but 
were kept awake by a poor child coughing violently all night. All 
the coast hereabouts is covered with mangrove, forming a dense 
bush, intersected by salt-water creeks or rivers. The villages are 
built close to the water, and having this dense grove all around 
them, and no circulation of air, the heat is always very great, and 
mosquitoes, flies, and sand-flies abound. 

On this island we have seen three albinos, Avhich, happily, are 
very rare objects. Even a sun-browned European face looks pale 
and lacking colour among these rich sienna and madder hues, but 
these poor creatures are truly hideous. The first I saw was a boy 
about eighteen years old ; his flesh was pale pink, blotched on the 
shoulders, and his hair a very pale yellow, and eyes very weak. 
He was an unwholesome, naked-looking object, suggestive of a poor 
hermit-crab dragged out of its shell. Poor fellow ! he shrank 
greatly from notice, and had clothed himself in all the fringe gar- 
ments he could collect, partly because the white skin suffered so 
severely from exposure to the sun. The next albino I saw was a 
child, which might almost have been mistaken for a European, but 
it was purely Fijian. Of course half-castes exist, but they are not 



BATHING IN THE TROPICS. 175 

very numerous. The third albino was a woman o.f quite a natural 
white, with very fair hair, and pale-blue eyes. She was a Kai 
Tholo, and had blue tattooing round her mouth, but really was not 
an unpleasant object to look at. She seemed to have a natural 
attraction to her white sisters, and came about us constantly. She 
gave me a prettily woven basket, and seemed much gratified when 
I presented her with some bright green calico, evidently perceiving 
that it was becoming to her fair colouring. I am told that in one 
instance albino twins were born — a boy and a girl — much whiter 
than English children — and both grew up. We occasionally see 
men suffering from a form of leprosy which blanches the feet and 
hands. Though by no means "as white as snow," the contrast 
with the brown body is very marked and horrible. 



The Teacher's House at Lamiti, 
Isle Ngau, or Angau, April 27. 

I am writing this letter in fragments, — just a few lines at a time 
— while waiting for our starts ; and as we depend wholly on the 
tide, these are sometimes most inconvenient. Thus at the present 
moment, 8 p.m., we would fain be rigging up our mosquito-curtains 
in the large clean house which has been our home for the day. 
But, alas ! Mr Langham has accumulated such a pile of work — 
church service, teachers' meeting, school examinations, marriages, 
and baptisms, — to get through to-morrow at the next large town, 
that, to my unspeakable disgust, he cannot venture on waiting for 
the morning tide, so we have to do about fourteen miles' poling in 
a canoe to-night, in total darkness, along a coast which by daylight 
is quite lovely. Besides, we are pretty well tired to begin with, 
having been up long before sunrise, and finished breakfast by 
7 a.m., to catch this morning's tide; and having got here before 
9 a.m. have ever since been hanging about, looking at the village, 
the shore, schools, and quaint scholars (from tiny toddles to grown- 
up men and women), all more or less picturesquely dressed up, 
some with gauze-like tappa worn over Turkey-red, with tufts of 
crimson or blue dyed fibre in the hair. 

While the Langhams were at a long church service, I stole off 
for a bathe, but to-day was eminently unsuccessful in my quest, 
from foolishly taking the advice of some Fijian women, whose 
ideas of bliss in this respect are not ours, publicity being no draw- 
back. You really can hardly realise what an enchanting feature 
in our travels is our daily bath. Xo humdrum tub, filled by a 



176 AT HOME Etf FIJI. 

commonplace housemaid, but a quiet pool on some exquisite stream, 
sometimes a clear babbling brook, just deep enough to lie down full 
length, beneath an overarching bower of great tree-ferns and young 
palm-fronds, all tangled with trailing creepers, and just leaving 
openings through which you see peeps of the bluest of skies, and 
tall palms far overhead. And sometimes the stream widens into a 
broad deep pool without a ripple, lying in the cool shade of a group 
of eevie trees, which are the commonest foliage here, like grand old 
walnut-trees. Conceive the delight of coming on such a stream 
after a couple of days on board ship, or after escaping from a dark 
Fijian house crammed with people, who, having presented various 
trays of steaming food, vegetables, fish, &c. (yesterday we had 
four pigs roasted whole, and two turtle, the latter invariably nasty), 
deem themselves rewarded by sitting down deliberately to enjoy 
a long fixed stare at the white pigs eating ! Imagine, I say, escap- 
ing from this stew — and getting hotter still by a scramble in the 
grilling sun — and then following up the stream till you find a pool 
perfect in all respects, especially one with a waterfall just big 
enough to sit under, and therein plunging and rejoicing as you only 
can in water so warm as this ! Of course, we are not always bur- 
dened with bathing-gowns, but a bathing-towel and a large white 
umbrella form an excellent substitute; and Mrs Langham has a 
Fijian girl whom we generally set to watch just in case of any 
chance wanderer, and then we each choose a bath after our own 
heart. But sometimes I come on such irresistible pools when I am 
scrambling about alone, where the tall reedy grasses are matted 
with large-leaved convolvuli, and not a sound is heard save the 
ripple of the stream over the stones, or the rustle of the leaves in 
the faint breeze, that I just slip in and revel, and go on my way 
rejoicing. I need scarcely say that our toilet on these expeditions 
is not very elaborate. Will you be shocked if I add, that having 
two or three ripe oranges, just gathered from the tree, greatly en- 
hances the delight of the situation % 

Saturday Night, April 29. 

Well, we did start soon after eight, and passed five miles of 
coast, with just enough glimm r of light to see that it was unusually 
lovely ; and even the boatmen (half-a-dozen fine stalwart fellows), 
mostly teachers, who volunteered to pole the canoe, told me how 
beautiful it was. But it was very dangerous coasting, with the 
reef close inshore, and large breakers just beyond us. The canoe 
rolled so that we had to hold on by both hands ; and I confess to 



AN EAKNE3T CONGREGATION. 177 

a malicious feeling of delight when the men owned they did not 
like it, and said they would rather wait for daylight. So we landed 
close to a tiny village, and made our way by the light of a lantern 
to the first house, where we found women, and a fire, and a wel- 
come, but it was so small that we were glad indeed to find a tiny 
church close by. Here we had a cup of tea, with old cocoa-nut 
grated and squeezed instead of cream, and then rigged up mosquito- 
curtains. It was so tiny, that my green plaid hung across the 
middle just divided it into two wee rooms ; and the doors were so 
low that we had to stoop double to crawl in. 

I woke in time to see a rosy sunrise over the sea, and walked alone 
along the coast till I found a delicious stream and a real " green- 
room " of leaves to dress in. Then we had breakfast on the shore 
(under palm-trees and broad-leaved plantains for a canopy), with 
the addition of yams and a fowl, brought by an admiring circle of 
villagers. And afterwards, according to invariable custom, " family " 
prayers before starting, as we also have at night, wherever we are, — 
sometimes on the deck, becalmed, in perfect moonlight, sometimes 
on the shore, oftenest in the house where we sleep ; but in any case 
it is always interesting, were it only as a sight, when you see these 
very devout people, and remember how recently they were all can- 
nibals. Even now we have adult baptisms at almost every island 
we come to. For though the people abjured heathenism en masse, 
and placed themselves under instruction, they are only baptised 
after careful individual training ; in some cases not till they have 
been under tuition for four or live years. 

How well this system works you might infer could you see the 
crowd of earnest thoughtful-looking men and women who assemble 
at Holy Communion. Last Sunday the morning congregation was 
about 600, of whom 250 were communicants; and in the after- 
noon the service was repeated at a village three miles off, where 
there were about 100 more communicants. According to native 
custom, all the women sit on one side and the men on the other. 
The service is almost a literal translation from the English Prayer- 
Book (it is all Wesleyan here). The elements used are Fijian 
bread, generally of arrowroot and cocoa-nut, and for wine, the very 
weakest claret and water, it being illegal to give a drop of wine or 
spirits to any native — and the penalty is severe. It is a marvel 
whereat I never cease to wonder, to know what this whole race 
was, less than twenty years ago, and now to see what a line race of 
kindly helpful people they are. I often think of this, when per- 
haps a dozen of them volunteer to escort me on any walk or 

M 



178 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

scramble I plan, and of their own accord cut or trample my path 
through the tall reeds up the steepest hillside, and carefully help 
me over the innumerable streams, which are generally bridged by 
one slippery cocoa-nut stem. Of course my being with the mis- 
sionary party accounts for their being all on the alert to be useful 
Here, for instance, all the twenty native teachers of the island (we 
are now on Ngau), and as many more stewards, and a number of 
lay -preachers and female class -leaders, have assembled for their 
quarterly meeting, and the place is full of them. The result is an 
unusual crowd in the house, and a hideous amount of eating of 
yams and pig, in honour of this great occasion. It is all in the way 
of work, however ; and, of course, to the people of these isles (where 
there is not one white resident) the mere pleasure of sitting staring 
at us, watching us eat and so forth, is a never-ending amusement. 

Naturally we sometimes get very much bored by it ; and it is a 
triumphant moment when we contrive to give them the slip, and 
get away to some quiet stream for our bathe, as aforesaid. Some- 
times two or three really pretty girls come with us to show us the 
way, and help us to scramble over the boulders, and then to keep 
watch that no one else may come near. I daresay they themselves 
manage to get a peep at the strange white creatures ; but we watch 
them in their turn, and the gain is, I fear, undoubtedly on their 
side. Many of them would delight an artist, being really pretty, 
with lovely figures, only veiled by a short kilt of creamy white 
native cloth, and perhaps over that a fringe and necklace of green 
leaves, thrown over one shoulder and under the other. Perhaps 
they carry a large fern or plantain-leaf as umbrella, and as they 
skip over the grey boulders every attitude is a picture. To-night I 
wish them all safe at home. 

We are now at a village called Kougouloa — i.e., Black Sand. It 
is a very pretty tiny town, circular, with double ramparts and double 
moats, which in these peaceful days are used as taro beds. A very 
large number of the inhabitants died in the measles — in some in- 
stances whole families ; and they were buried where they lay, on 
the foundation of their houses, which were pulled down : and now 
patches of crimson-leaved dracaena, growing on the raised terraces, 
mark these " graves of a household." Most of the little burial- 
grounds are pretty and well cared for : they are generally shaded 
by the nolw-noho 1 — a dark, drooping foliage, which just now is 
covered with dainty little pink tassels, like our own -larch tree. 
The great screw-pines, with the odd white nillared roots, are also 

1 Casurina. 



LEAVING HOME. 179 

now in blossom, and bear a tuft of very fragrant flowers in a case 
of white leaves. 

Wednesday, May 3. 

We are back at Sawaieke, and to-morrow morning return on 
board the Jubilee, taking away several lads as students. All their 
i friends have come to see them oft'; and at the present moment no 
I less than fourteen visitors of all ages and sexes are lying on the 
I mats like herrings in a barrel, and have been gazing at us so 
| steadily that at last they are fairly mesmerised, and have all fallen 
! asleep, and of course will not stir till morning; so we shall have a 
| chorus of grunting and coughing all night. The coughs are really 
| dreadful ; Mr Langham has to doctor the people right and left, — 
1 rather expensive work, and each missionary is only allowed 30s. 
a-year for medical stores ! 

Nasova, May 20. 

I wrote so far before leaving Ngau. We got on board early, 
and a very unpleasant morning it was — raining steadily. 

All the relations came to the shore to weep over the emigrants 
starting for the Bau Training Institution — a very short day's sail 
by canoe. They all blubbered freely (great big men), and smelt 
one another all over ! Up to this time we had been coasting all 
about the isles of Koro, ]N~gau, Nairai, and Batique — the two 
former large and very beautiful, reminding me much of Ceylon. 
The mission ship, the Jubilee, took us from isle to isle, and then 
we coasted round from village to village in a canoe. As I have 
previously told you, each island is surrounded by an outer ring of 
coral-reef, so there is invariably smooth water right round the 
island where you can row or sail in perfect comfort. Of course it 
is very dangerous for the boats, as coral crops up in all manner of 
unexpected patches; and at low tide it is impossible in some 
places to get along. But at high tide you can always do so ; and 
right round the coast there are picturesque villages at intervals of 
four or five miles, so we halted perhaps two nights at all the chief 
points — having previously sent word to the three or four nearest 
towns to assemble there for church service, school examinations, 
marriages, and baptisms. Of course there is apt to be a certain 
sameness in these ; but as I was not bound to attend them, I often 
took advantage of the people being all occupied to go off for a 
quiet bathe or sketch. Many of the open-air services were mOst 
picturesque, being held under the great trees — sometimes by torch- 



180 AT HOME m FIJI. 

light ; and the school -gatherings are very pretty sights — the dresses * 
being so fanciful. A large proportion of the scholars read and 
write well, and are getting on wonderfully with arithmetic, — 
especially in one village, where a poor leper, who in early life was 
trained at the Mission Institute, now employs himself as amateur 
assistant to the teacher. I have bought two very nice pieces of 
native cloth, which acted as christening-robes to two juveniles; 
the font was a cocoa-nut shelL 

There is generally a lovely path running right round every 
island, close to the sea shore, under shadow of large trees with 
grand foliage, but of names unknown to you. 

We spent May-day at a town called Xawaikama — the Burnt 
Waters, — because of the hot springs. These are built in artifi- 
cially, with a low wall, so as to confine them and form a warm 
pool. A beautiful cool stream divides just above the springs, and 
flows right round them ; so when you have sat in the pool till you 
are parboiled (and, by the way, it is a very odd sensation to feel 
the hot water gushing up), you can take a plunge, or at least lie 
down and cool in the cold fresh stream close by. It is a pleasant 
bath-room, with tall palms for a canopy. 

The only place where we came in for any interest rather out of 
the humdrum ordinary of Fijian villages was the little island of 
Batique, where it had been impossible to send word of the coming 
of the great ecclesiastical powers ; and as there is no anchorage, 
and dangerous reefs, the vessel had to beat about outside all the 
time we were there. So we only stayed one night, and on arriving 
found the whole town in a fever of excitement (a town is a small 
moated village), because the young women of Levuka had come 
over by appointment to bring a great present of English cloth to 
the chief, and to the women of Batique. Of course they expected 
mats, and painted cloth, and cocoa-nut oil in return; so all the 
Batique girls had been working for ages. We arrived just as the 
presentation of goods was about to be made. All the people 
assembled in the market-place — a square, overshadowed by great 
trees on raised banks — and then every woman brought the mat 
she had made, rolled up so as to show its bright edge of worsted 
(modern substitute for the parrots' feathers of olden days). There 
were about 200 mats, and a good deal of line painted cloth After 
whales' teeth had been duly presented to the chief, the presents 
were made, and much feasting ensued. It was a singularly in- 
opportune time for the mission work ; but as it had to be then 
or not at all, Mr Langham proceeded to hold service in the big 




$ 



THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR. 181 

square, and when that was over, had his school examination by- 
moonlight and torchlight. The scene was picturesque, though the 
scholars had no time to make their usual wreaths and garlands. 
One pretty feature of such gatherings as these is, that at the close 
of the ceremony all come and lay their (superfluous) garments of 
native cloth and necklaces at the feet of the principal persons 
present. I only mean pretty theoretically — for of course the 
wearers look stripped and shabby after this, but the followers of 
the great men assume the garments thus laid down. It was ten 
o'clock before we left the square and betook us to our quarters in 
the little church, at either end of which we had hung up our 
curtains. Then we found there was a marriage to celebrate, so 
Mr L. went on with that in the middle of the church, while his 
wife and I slept the sleep of the weary — slept for a little while, 
soon to be awakened by the shouts and measured hand-clapping 
(like low thunder) of the crowd, who had again assembled in the 
market-place for a grand meke — dancing and singing — which went 
on the livelong night. At last it became so boisterous I thought 
I must go down and see the fun ; so crept near under the shadow 
of the great plantain-leaves — but soon an envious gleam of moon- 
light revealed my presence, which caused some perturbation. I 
fancied I was less welcome than usual. The dancing I saw was 
commonplace, and not pretty, so I soon went back to bed. This 
was the end of my adventures. 

Next day found us at Bau, the native capital, where, you 
know, I have already stayed with the Langhams ; and the follow- 
ing morning a favourable wind brought me here in three hours 
(last time I was fourteen hours). Everything is fresh and cosy. 
Already Nasova is like a different place — tidy garden, and pretty 
things all about, and my own room does look so very nice with 
all its Fijian decorations. But of the humans, I found only Lady 
Gordon and the chicks, and Baron von Hiigel, the others having 
gone in three different detachments, with all the native police, to 
reinforce the camp already established in the great isle ; for there 
has been mischief brewing for long, and at last the wild heathen 
mountaineers, Kai Tholos, have made a descent on several Chris- 
tian villages, burnt the houses, and murdered the inhabitants — 
chiefly old men, women, and children, who had hidden in a cave. 
The Christians made a good defence, and in one place thoroughly 
beat the aggressors. It is a nasty business anjhow; but we trust 
it is nearly over now. However, no one can tell, and of course 
every one is anxious. 



182 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

I return to find that a home worry has arisen. The nice Welsh 
nurse is actually going to marry the Spanish washerman, and as 
Lady Gordon had not bound her legally to stay, she has no 
redress ! Luckily, Mrs Abbey is willing to undertake the place, 
in addition to her own already heavy work, though she has two 
thildren of her own. Such an accident is really a serious matter in 
a place like this, where good servants cannot possibly be replaced. 

"We have just heard of the total wreck of the steamer Egmont, 
which brought us here from Sydney. You may remember that she 
was specially chartered to bring the Royal Engineers to this place. 
Colonel Pratt and almost all his men have gone to Suva to open 
up a road into the interior of the great isle. There seems a fate, 
however, about the removal of the capital. Nothing can be done 
till the best harbours have been surveyed; and the survey was 
stopped three months ago, in obedience to an imaginary law of 
hurricanes, and the surveying ship Eeynard, Captain Dawson, sent 
back to the colonies. Now he returns only to have a relapse of 
severe illness as soon as he enters Fijian waters, and has to go 
straight away again. But it is time something was done. This 
place, "in which fever and sunstroke are unknown," is just a sink 
of low fever — one case after another. Eoth Dr Cruikshank 1 and 
Dr Carew have had it very severely. The latter (attached to the 
Engineers) has been sent to the colonies to recruit. It is said that 
till three years ago it really was unknown — now it is making up 
for lost time. 

Such a sad thing has just happened here. The captain of the 
new Government steamer Fitzroy had five children whom he adored: 
three died, and he had to leave his delicate wife and two remaining 
children in Sydney. News came that the two last children had 
died, but he had one point of comfort in the coming of his wife. 
He was to meet her at Khandavu (where the mails stop, a day's 
steam from here). Instead of herself, came a letter from the doctor 
to say she was dying at Sydney. The poor fellow utterly lost his 
head, left his ship, and went off to Sydney. Luckily a passenger 
on board had been in the navy, and managed to bring the steamer 
safely back here, where a new captain has been found. We have 
just heard that Lady Hackett is very ill with low fever, and are 
going off to see her. Keally there is no end to the amount of sick- 
ness here at present. 

1 I regret to have to add the name of Dr Cruikshank to the number of those who 
have passed away in their prime. He died at Levuka in 1880. % 



FEUNS AND MILDEW, 183 

Fiji, May 20, 1S76. 

Dear Eisa. — I have just got safe home from my cruise about 
Koro, Ngau, Nairai, and Batique. I have one new fern — quite 
new to Mrs Langham and myself, but Baron von Hiigel knows it, 
he thinks, in New Zealand. Most of the others, I think, I have 
already sent ; but I think it well to go on sending seed x in case of 
previous packets having failed, or mildewed. The latter is the 
curse of this country, and nowhere is it a more cruel foe than in 
collecting plants. The Baron tells me he has collected in these isles 
upwards of 2000 specimens of all sorts of things (vegetable), and 
the mildew has destroyed about four-fifths of the whole ! 

This comes home to me with especial force, in attempting to do 
Miss Bird's behest of collecting ferns for her. In any case the pur- 
suit is to me a novel one, for 1 have always steadily set my face 
against all manner of dried plants, and vowed nothing would ever 
induce me to have anything to do with such. But in obedience to 
her command, I started the largest portfolio in all Fiji, to enable 
me to preserve at least small sections of the splendid giants which 
form the glory of these isles (but which to my utterly ignorant eye 
appear identical with those of Australia and New Zealand). But 
after all, what can the biggest portfolio do when you have to deal 
with fronds eight or ten feet long by four or five feet wide 1 You 
can only preserve a fragment, which gives you no notion of the 
lovely original. This is especially true of what I call the umbrella- 
fern, one frond of which will quite cover a sleeping man lying down 
full length. However, I did what I could — lugged about this 
horrid great portfolio everywhere, full of blotting-paper and drying- 
paper, and most conscientiously preserved all the loveliest things 
I could get. I never knew before how long you have to search 
among the ferns (which as a whole look so beautiful) before you 
can get one quite perfect, especially one in seed. And I invariably 
found such when we were on some difficult scramble, with enough 
to do to get along with hands and feet; or else when we were 
hurrying on to catch a tide, with the prospect of a long row in 
either the canoe or a tiny boat, under a grilling sun ; and generally, 
on reaching our destination, found the great portfolio and other 
superfluities all gone on board the ship, ready for the morrow's 
start. Even when it was there all right, and the last hour of day- 
light devoted to the attempt to save the half -withered treasures of 

1 1 sent home seed, or morsels of seed-bearing frond, of many rare and beautiful 
ferns, but notwithstanding all the care bestowed on them by experienced gardeners, 
I do not believe that one has survived the voyage. 



184 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

the day, there was invariably the mortification of finding those of 
the previous days covered with mildew — often the small fronds 
fairly dropping off. And now that I have got back again, and 
look at the result, I find nothing but page after page of smelly 
mould, with shrunken brown corpses of bits of what were once ferns. 
I only got half-a-dozen sketches on this trip, and they are all mil- 
dewed. The scenery, however, is lovely. I had hoped to have 
found some ferns collected for me here by one or two people whom 
I had asked to help me, and who had agreed to do so. The ma- 
jority whom I asked at once refused point-blank ; others said, " I 
go, sir," and went not. All jeered at me, and congratulated me on 
my undertaking; some said "they had tried it once." All agreed 
that the only chance of success is to change all the papers at least 
every other day — a pleasant prospect truly ! However, the upshot 
is that no one has as yet brought me one fern ; and those I col- 
lected with so much care are just a mass of mildew, the very smell 
of which is sickening. So you must tell Miss Bird, that though 
for love of her I will stick to the attempt, all I have done so far is 
utterly worthless. 

We have had a son of Mr Yeitch, the seedsman, here lately. 
He worked hard at ferns for some months, and though much dis- 
appointed at getting nothing new, contrived with infinite trouble 
to collect many lovely things, all of which are now at the bottom 
of the sea, he having got wrecked on one of his expeditions — very 
trying ! 

Tell your mother I have never yet had a chance of despatching 
her pottery, but it is greatly to her advantage, as I have gone on 
picking up bits here and there, and the case now contains nearly 
double as many specimens as when I first wrote to her. Mail 
closing — so good-bye. 

Nasota, June 3. 

If a heavenly climate, with balmy breezes, could make us happy, 
we are now enjoying these in perfection ; but, alas ! we are very 
down-hearted. It seems as if all our friends were forsaking us. 
We went yesterday to say good-bye to the Layards, he having 
been appointed Consul in New Caledonia. I shall miss them ex- 
ceedingly. Their house was always an attractive point for a walk, 
which was invariably rewarded by seeing some interesting specimen 
of ornithology, or learning some point in natural history, on which 
Mr Layard is a first-rate authority. Our last afternoon together 
was devoted to an awfid and solemn experiment. We resolved 



PARTINGS. 



185 



that we must bring ourselves to taste Beehes-de-mer soup (you 
know about the horrible-looking black sea-slugs, so precious to the 
Chinese, and which are so largely exported from here 1 ?). Well, 
Mr Layard commissioned Houng Lee, a Chinaman living in Le- 
vuka, to make a large tureen of this soup, and bring it to his 
house at luncheon-time. Very dubiously did we venture on the 
first spoonful ; on the second still with caution ; on the third with 
avidity. Finally, we forgot all about the hideous slugs, and with 
one accord returned for a second helping, and agreed that we had 
thoroughly enjoyed our luncheon. Now, alas ! all our pleasant 
experiments are over — the big tumble-down old house, with the 
familiar pier, are deserted ; and at this very moment the Layards 
are in the act of sailing out of harbour in H.M.S. Barracouta. 

But grievous beyond expression to Lady Gordon and myself is 
the fact that the Havelocks have decided on returning to England. 
You, surrounded by friends without number, cannot possibly real- 
ise to what an extent we shall miss these, our very greatest friends. 
There has scarcely been a day of which we have not spent part 
together — either we have gone up to their pretty cottage on the 
hill, or they have come to us for a pleasant chat. And Jack and 
Nevil are devoted to their dear little Eachel. Well, now it is all 
over. Already they are beginning preparations for selling off their 
furniture, and their very pretty glass and china, — of course at a 
heavy loss ; and next month they will sail with Sir William and 
Lady Hackett, and all go home together. Our new Chief-Justice, 
Mr Gorrie, is expected by next mail. He comes from Mauritius. 

Now as concerns news since I last wrote. For a fortnight we 
continued here alone — Baron von Hiigel being our only gentleman. 
He is " getting up " Fiji, and competes with Sir Arthur and Mr 
Maudslay for the most thoroughly perfect collection of curiosities. 
All the others were away in detachments in the mountains of Yiti 
Levu, where the wild tribes are in rebellion. The Governor could 
not rest so far from the seat of action, so went off with Mr Mauds- 
lay. We expected them back about the 16th May, but waited 
and waited in vain, in much anxiety. At last they steamed 
quietly in, and came in with the usual calm assumption of nothing 
of the slightest interest having occurred. [ hear, however, that 
they ran into imminent danger, and escaped by a hair's-breadth. 
The Governor insisted on walking across country from Nandi to 
Nandronga, about forty miles, attended only by Dr Macgregor and 
about a dozen native police. Nandronga is a town in the dis- 
turbed districts, where Arthur Gordon is now staying. Of course 



186 AT HOME W FIJI 

it was a long two days' march.; and the first night, the party 
halted at a village, without in the least realising that they had 
run straight to one of the scenes of action. In the houses they 
found only four or five helpless old men, all the rest having gone 
to fight. A sudden blaze revealed that the enemy had surprised, 
and were in the act of burning, the next village, two miles off, and 
of course the villagers immediately expected to share the like fate. 
Great was the consternation ; and a council was held by Sir A. 
and the doctor whether to retreat at once, and retrace their- steps, 
or advance many miles to the nearest plantation. Happily they 
decided to stay where they were, the available handful of men 
standing sentry round the village the whole night, watching for 
prowlers coming to burn the reed houses. Evidently the enemy 
were put off by finding them on the alert ; for only one prowler 
came suddenly on a sentry, and instantly vanished in the darkness. 
Had they realised what a prize lay within their grasp, I think they 
would not have let that village escape. At dawn the march was 
continued — in fear and trembling, however ; for it is not pleasant 
to know that these tribes are still cannibals. Sir Arthur also went 
himself to the camp at Xasauthoko, where Captain Knollys and 
his native police have their headquarters ♦ 

Nasova, June 9. 

We had a very curious ceremony here this afternoon. A large 
body of our wild allies have arrived here from Bau on their way to 
Viti Levu, and to-day they came here to report themselves to Sir 
Arthur, and indulged in a little bole bole, which is a form of cere- 
monial boasting, to describe the great deeds of prowess they pur- 
pose to perform in the war. They are a magnificent body of men ; 
and as they advanced, with blackened faces and kilts of long black 
water-weed like horse-hair, and streamers of white masi floating 
from their arms and knees, brandishing their old Tower muskets, 
which replace the club of old days, they certainly did look most 
alarming. They performed a very striking " devil meke" with wild 
attitudinising, ending with such unearthly yells as would really 
have made your blood run cold to hear, and were very suggestive 
of what these people must have been in old heathen days. 

When the wild men had received their gift of whales' teeth, 
and had gone off to feast on turtle and pig, we went on board 
H.M.S. Pearl, which sailed into harbour under full canvas on 
Monday evening just at sunset. The last time she left this harbour 
was on the ill-fated expedition to Santa Cruz. It is not yet a year 






A CAILLACH FKAE THE HIELANDS. 187 

since I left Commodore Goodenough's hospitable roof, and watched 
the Pearl sail out of Sydney harbour, bringing Sir Arthur to begin 
the new life in Fiji. Then came her awful return. Now we hear 
that she has been the scene of a series of brilliant balls, given by 
Commodore Hoskyns at Sydney. Verily changes are rapid ! 

It was a great pleasure again to meet Captain Hastings and other 
friends. Dr Messer has been too ill to come ashore, but to-day he 
showed me some very interesting sketches of the New Hebrides 
idols, and other things. In the absence of its new occupant, we 
ventured to enter the cabin in which the sailor-martyr died — holy 
ground indeed. The Pearl sails again to-morrow. 

I have just been to see Mrs Macgregor. Both she and Mrs 
Garrick are very seriously ill from frightfully ulcerated sore-throat. 
Captain Stewart, E.E., has a sharp attack of fever ; and Mr Lake 
has just been invalided to New Zealand. Sir William Hackett is 
quite laid up, and looks very ill indeed ; Nevil, too, is very fever- 
ish. Altogether we are not in a very flourishing condition. 

Nothing amuses me more than the way in which people from 
opposite ends of the world are for ever meeting in unexpected 
places. The last instance I have come across was when two days 
ago I was sketching near Levuka, and took refuge from a shower at a 
carpenter's shop. There I found a very old woman from Perthshire, 
who discoursed at great length on all members of the Breadalbane 
family, and the Baillies of Jarviswode, as she remembered them thirty- 
five years ago. It reminds me of my meeting General Troup in 
India, and his telling me he knew all my family intimately. But 
when we failed to find our topics of common interest altogether fluent, 
he added, " Well, it is fifty years since I have seen any of them ! " 

I have nothing else of special interest to tell you. History re- 
peats itself in so small a community. A considerable number of 
white men and brown have been dining here. There have been 
yangona melees in the moonlight, with wild songs, which are always 
attractive to me. We had a pretty meke, with fanciful dances, in 
honour of the Queen's birthday (the Maramma Levu, or Great 
Lady). Jack, the little sailor, has been in his glory with so many 
ships in harbour — the Sapphire, the Alacrity, and the Pearl. He 
has had luncheon and tea on board of them all, and is an immense 
favourite with the blue-jackets. His naval tailor comes gravely to 
measure him for his tiny garments ; and his proudest days are those 
when he is allowed to go on board alone with one of the gentlemen. 
Mrs Abbey has planted tree-ferns round Mrs de Eicci's grave ; and 
there are few days when either her children, or Jack and Nevil, do 



188 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

not carry fresh flowers to lay on it. And I have sown scarlet and 
blue convolvulus, and other vines, all over the little headland. 
Good-bye. 

Nasova. July 22. 

Our grievous separation is accomplished. 

The Havelocks and Hacketts started for England on the 6th, and, 
to know how sorely we miss them, you must needs come and live 
out here — in this country, to which most people come, only to leave 
it as soon as possible, and which has been accurately described as 
one in which every difficulty in the way of progress exists in fullest 
perfection. Why this should be, I really cannot tell, but it cer- 
tainly appears to be the case. 

The mountain war continues, and Captain Knollys, as gener- 
alissimo, is permanently absent; all the other gentlemen come 
and go incessantly. The new judge, Mr Gorrie, accompanied Sir 
Arthur on his last trip, just to see something of the mountain 
tribes before they become civilised, like those of the coast. They 
returned here on the 3d, bringing Arthur Gordon in the well-earned 
character of "Conquering Hero," he having, with a force of 1000 
wild men, effectually quelled the disturbance in the district under 
his charge. ]S"ext day the Yuni Yalu came here to lunch, and 
Maafu to dine. Both were anxious to hear all news of the war, 
but each great chief was happier in the absence of the other. 

A few days later a very fine body of picked men arrived here 
from Taviuni and Thakaundrove on their way to the scene of action. 
They did a war meke on the green in front of the windows, and 
repeated the odd ceremony of " boasting," which I have described 
in previous letters. On the 10th, the Governor, Mr Gordon, and 
his reinforcement of wild men, sailed in the Fitzroy to rejoin Cap- 
tain Knollys, and now we are anxiously waiting for her return 
to take us across to Suva on a visit to Mrs Joski. 

July 25. — We waited in vain. Yesterday Mr Wilkinson arrived, 
having travelled five days and nights in an open canoe, to bring a 
message from Sir Arthur, who is in the camp at Nasauthoko, to 
the effect that the Fitzroy is a total wreck. She struck on a coral- 
reef near the Singatoke river, having mistaken the entrance into a 
passage. It was midnight, and the land clouded by much smoke 
from burning the reeds for clearings. Captain Coxe and his crew 
have arrived in the two boats. All hands safe ; but he, poor fel- 
low, is sorely down-hearted at this mischance, and it certainly is 
a serious loss to the colony. 



BECALMED IN MID-OCEAN. 189 

July 28. — A letter from the Langhams to say the Jubilee will 
call here to-morrow, and if I like to go in her to Bau, I can join 
them in a cruise all round Yanua Levu (the Great Land), Taviuni, 
and other isles. Of course such a chance is not one to be lost, so 
I am busy getting ready for the expedition. Probably you will 
not hear from me till my return. 

(Becalmed in mid-ocean — i.e., about twenty miles from Taviuni, and the same 
from Vanua Levu. ) 

Wednesday, August 2, 1876. 

My dear Lady Gordon, — Is not this "riling"? To think 
that we were due in Taviuni last Friday, and that we were thence 
to have taken Mr J., the new missionary, to a great meeting with 
all the teachers, and office-bearers of all sorts, on Yanua Levu (at 
Nanduri). This meeting is to come off to-day : about 150 teachers, 
&c, and ever so many friends, are there assembled, wondering 
what delays the Jubilee; and here we are, doing the Ancient 
Mariner business to perfection, and apparently likely to lie where 
we are for an unlimited period. Of course when we do reach 
Taviuni, we shall not be able to stay there at all, — only just pick 
up Mr J., and, if possible, row along the coast to Wairiki and 
Somo Somo to fetch a native minister, while the Jubilee beats 
round the coast. This row will give us a small glimpse of the 
coast, and so far, is the one redeeming feature of our cruise. It is 
aggravating to know that if the captain had not wasted all the 
early morning, the Langhams were ready on Saturday to row miles 
to meet the Jubilee, as soon as she appeared, and start at once for 
Taviuni. As it was, they sighted us so. late in the day, that they 
decided on waiting till Monday morning, by which time the wind 
had changed, and we had it right in our teeth. Though we were 
up at 3 A.M., we only made Ovalau that day, and were off Nasova 
at sunset. I wonder if you saw us ! Last night we were off Savu 
Savu, and would fain have landed to see the hot springs, but 
had to tack about remorselessly. Then came the calm; and all 
night long, we rolled and rolled. Now the rolling has ceased, and 
we are seesawing idiotically. Two consecutive nights have proved 
to me that the boards of the deck are undoubtedly hard; and 
till now Mrs Langham, little Annie Lindsay, and the Fijian girl 
Penina, the great Johnnie, and I myself, have all been horribly 
sick. Only Mr L. has been well. He is a very kind nurse ; and 
it is quite touching to see how devoted both he and Mrs L. are to 
little Annie — a bright little five-year-old, full of life and fun, and 



190 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

as fond of them as they are of her. She can talk nothing but 
Fijian, and is a great pet with the natives, — a most joyous little 
person, on terms of intimate friendship with all the live-stock at 
Bau — cats, ducks, geese, fowls, and little pigs. Tell Jack and 
Xevil the bottles of jujubes and acid drops are a great success, 
both with big folk and small. As yet the only excitement has 
been in feeble attempts at cookery. Yesterday, after a thirty-six 
hours' course of cold pork and dry bread (not feeling equal to 
those tins of mutton-broth), I bethought me of that long-treasured 
roll of Brand's brown soup, which has never left my travelling-bag, 
and cut up a couple of inches in thin- slices, and boiled them in 
the tea-kettle. The result was capital. But in spite of all com- 
mands to scour the tea-kettle, it was found this morning thickly 
coated with brown jelly ! Well, this morning we tried the first 
tin of condensed milk. I still think it makes tea nastier than 
having none, but little Annie and Mr L. like it. Then we thought 
we would make a mess of it and corn-flour. So Mr L. and I each 
tried our hand at making a bowl. I made mine like arrowroot, 
without boiling, and rather liked it ; but his brew failed : so at 
last he found an old black pot belonging to the ship, and boiled it 
up. It looked rather dingy and odd, but they all avowed it was 
better than mine ; so we were each content. The two big pieces 
of waterproof were very acceptable for our bedding. 

I have no special Bau news to give you. Everything looked as 
usual — good bloom of roses and jessamine, and fresh sweet air. 
After morning church, I went to see Andi Kuilla, and gave her 
your message. She could not wait to talk then, as it seems they 
always hold a family prayer-meeting immediately after public service 
(having previously attended early service). I confess I thought 
that it showed wonderful powers of endurance. In the afternoon 
we went over to "Viwa, where Mr L. held service, the Lindsays 
having gone to Xamena. It is a very pretty place — a lovely walk of 
about a mile to the church ; and beyond that the native graves, on 
a headland edged with big old trees, whose tangled roots twist 
light over the cliff down to the sea. Andi Kuilla came to evening 
tea, and to ask Mr L. for a copy-book, pen, &c, that she might im- 
prove her hand before writing you a Fijian letter herself. Batu 
Timothy also sent up for lamp wicks. There is scarcely an hour 
of the day that some member of the " royal family " does not send 
up for something or other. I found Mr L. had arranged that one 
of the native ministers, Batu Isaiah, is to meet him on the coast of 
Viti Levu, about twenty miles from Xananu, and is to bring the 



TAVIUNI. 191 

mail. So I gave him a note to Mr Maudslay, asking him to send 
my letters also. If I have the luck to be dropped at Nan ami, Mr 
L. will get them sent on. Now I will add no more ; for you have 
no notion how hateful it is to write on your lap, holding a big 
umbrella with one hand, and sea-sawing all the time. The faintest 
little breeze is just springing up, and we are beginning to move — 
almost imperceptibly. 

Vuna Point (Navaua Mission-House), 3 p.m. 

Just arrived, by dint of literally rowing the Jubilee the last few 
miles, — such heavy mist and quiet rain that we could see nothing 
of the isle as we approached — only a vision of very high land 
and coast-line of rich foliage and fields. Instead of beach, coral 
and black rocks run to the very edge of the land. It seems so 
strange to see the branches of the trees literally overhanging the 
coral; and just beyond, the water is quite deep. The Lands 
Commission are living very near: we see their tents. Probably 
we shall walk along the coast so far, after tea, to see Colonel Pratt 
and the others. We sleep here, I am glad to say. No time for 
more. Much love to the bairns. — Ever yours. 



CHAPTER XYIIL 

TAVITJNI — TUT THAKOW — MISSIONARY PERILS — THEIR FRUIT OF PEACE— RATU 
LALA — RAMBI ISLE — GIPSY LIFE — VANUA LEVU — A MISSION CONFERENCE 
— THE ISLE OF KIA— A VILLAGE FEAST. 

Somo Somo, Isle Taviuni, August 4. 

We had a very tedious passage coming here from Bau, but are 
now repaid by finding ourselves on this lovely island, which is 
generally called " the garden of Fiji," because of the richness of 
its vegetation. We have seen only a small part of the coast, but 
that is one lovely tangle of natural foliage, which, seen from the 
sea, resembles a succession of green waterfalls, so richly do the 
vines of every graceful form shroud the great trees and tall ferns. 
You see I have adopted the word vine in its colonial acceptation, 
to describe all manner of creeping green things of the earth. 

Taviuni has one disadvantage — it lacks the perfect ring of coral 



192 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

which secures calm water and a sure harbour for most of its neigh- 
bours ; and in stormy weather the shore is sw< ,pt by heavy seas, 
unchecked by any protecting barrier-reef. It is about sixty miles 
in circumference, and is apparently one great mountain, about 
2000 feet high. It is said to be an extinct volcano. On its 
summit lies a great lake which has formed in the crater, and 
thence descends in a clear stream, which flows into the sea at this 
village. 1 

We landed at Yuna Point, and were thankful to find ourselves 
safely housed at the mission station. How we did enjoy a jug of 
fresh milk sent to us by a kind neighbour ! The houses of several 
planters are here clustered within a very short distance of one 
another, making quite a pleasant little society. We called at 
several houses, each surrounded by orange-trees, scarlet hybiscus, 
gardenia, and other tropical shrubs, with veils of a tiny scarlet 
convolvulus ; and we passed through a bit of the primeval forest 
— noble old trees with wonderful roots forming natural buttresses. 
Alas ! they are all doomed to destruction. Here, as in every other 
beautiful corner of the earth which I have ever visited, the glories 
of the natural forest are rapidly vanishing before the planter's 
axe, to make room for a more profitable, if less interesting vegeta- 
tion. 

In the evening there was heavy rain, of which, I believe, this 
green isle receives a plentiful allowance. Happily yesterday morn- 
ing was fine, and (while the Jubilee slowly beat up the coast to 
Wairiki, a distance of twelve miles) we took the boat and rowed 
close inshore. It was very lovely. Wairiki is one of the few 
spots in Fiji where the Roman Catholic Church has established 
something of a footing ; and it is the home of two French priests, 
whose care extends to Somo Somo. The lotu katolika, however, 
has comparatively few adherents, the people in general having a 
strong preference for what they call the lotu ndina — "the true 
religion " — which, however, in this place seemed to be in a slovenly 
condition. We found the house of the native minister so unpleas- 
ant that we did not care to enter it, but made our way to the very 
ill-cared-for little church, and had our luncheon brought there, as 
it was raining heavily. We were now in the dominions of the 
great chief Tui Thakow, a very fine specimen of a high chief, 

1 Since writing the above, I have seen two springs of pure cold water on the 
summit of the dormant volcano of Fuji Yama, in Japan, at an altitude of about 
18,000 feet; also those in Haleakala, the great extinct volcano in the Sandwich 
Isles— altitude 10,000 feet — whence it would appear to be the nature of extinct 
volcanoes to produce such springs. 



MATRIMONIAL EXPERIMENTS, 193 

second only to Thakombau, but, unfortunately, much addicted to 
drinking and other vices. Though affording kindly protection 
to both Catholic priests and Wesleyan teachers, he eschews the 
guidance of either, and scandalises both, by pursuing his own 
jovial views of domestic life, and keeping up as large an establish- 
ment as in the old heathen days — the ladies of his harem being 
practically without limit. His first queen, Andi Eleanor, is at 
present out of favour, and lives at Wairiki in a very picturesque 
house, of which I made a sketch when the rain stopped. She had 
some enormous bales of native cloth lying in the house. She is 
still very handsome, as is also her son Eatu Lala, whom I often see 
at Mr Thurston's house. 

In the afternoon we had a heavy pull, rowing out to the Jubilee, 
and found her at anchor, the captain objecting to proceed that 
night, as the coral-patches make navigation dangerous in the dark. 
This delighted me, of course. So after some deliberation it was 
decided that we should row on to this place, Somo Sonio, about 
four miles further, taking our food and bedding, as we were utterly 
uncertain where we should sleep, there being no teacher's house 
there. But news of our coming preceded us, and on landing we 
were at once conducted to this very fine large house belonging to 
Tui Thakow. He himself is absent (supposed to be drunk at a 
neighbouring village), but Andi Luciana, the Fair Eosamond who 
at present fills the position of chief wife, and who is a daughter of 
Thakombau, did the honours with the innate dignity of her race. 
She is a fine handsome woman, with a very pleasant face. She is 
Andi Kuilla's half-sister. Her first matrimonial venture was with 
Koroi Eamundra, at Bau — notwithstanding her sister's warning, 
she having also tried him in the first instance, and found him un- 
endurable. Andi Luciana rued the day too late, but the Vuni 
Valu came to the rescue, and divorced her, and then allowed her to 
come and be prime favourite in Tui Thakow's harem. 

We went to call on Tui Thakow's sister, Andi Eliza, a fine hearty 
old lady — the great pillar of the Wesleyan Church in this district. 
She cordially smelt all our hands, sniffing with especial devotion 
that of the newly-arrived missionary, a man who had never in his 
life been twenty miles from his own home in Cornwall, when he 
was appointed to the sole charge of this immense district, where 
there are vast arrears of lost ground to be made up. Fifty towns 
without any teacher at all ! For some time there has been no one 
to undertake the charge of this district, and now the Society have 
Bent out the only man they could get, but one who, certainly, is 

K 



194 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

not very likely to impress these keen intelligent men ; which is the 
more to be regretted, as they are so ready to give all honour to their 
white teacher and his message. 

This is a very pretty place, and after tea we strolled out again 
to see as much of it as we possibly could, first going through the 
village, and then exploring the valley behind us. 

"We lingered a while beside the clear stream, resting under a 
large shaddock-tree, the whole air scented with its fragrant flowers, 
which are just like a very rich orange-blossom, and grow in large 
clusters. Then turning aside beneath the dark shadow of the 
bread-fruit trees, we sought the grave of .Mr Cross — one of the two 
first missionaries who came to these stormy and blood-stained isles. 

As we stood by that grave in the quiet starlight, with scarcely a 
sound from the peaceful village to disturb the stillness of night, we 
could not but think of the strange change that has been wrought in 
so short a time. It was in 1835 that these two pioneers landed at 
Lakemba, far away at the eastern extremity of the group. 

Two years later, the King of Somo Somo (who like the present 
ruler was called Tui Thakow) came to Lakemba with his two sons 
and several hundred followers. When he saw the knives and 
hatchets, kettles and pots, which the Lakembans had received as 
barter for food and work, he immediately coveted possession of the 
goose which laid such golden eggs, so he urged the mission to come 
at once and settle at Somo Somo, promising every sort of advantage 
— that all the children should attend school, and that he and his 
people would give heed to what was taught. The invitation was 
of course accepted, though not without qualms, the people of Somo 
Somo being so noted for their excess in every conceivable form of 
crime, that their name was uttered with dread and even horror 
throughout the group. 

Upwards of a year elapsed ere it was possible to comply with 
the king's request, as it was necessary to obtain further supplies of 
men and stores from England. (We do not find this rapid work 
even now, and it was a far more difficult matter in those days.) 
When, in the face of many difficulties, Mr Hunt and Mr Lyth 
arrived with their families at Somo Somo, hoping for the promised 
welcome, they found that, beyond being allowed the use of a large 
empty house belonging to the old king, their presence was utterly 
ignored. 

They had scarcely landed when news came that the king's 
youngest son, Ea Mbithi, had been lost at sea \ or rather, that his 
canoe had drifted to the isle of Xgau, where, as a matter of course, 



MISSIONARY PERILS. 195 

he was captured and eaten. Great was the lamentation made for 
him, and utterly vain were the prayers of the new-comers that 
the women doomed to death, according to custom, might be spared. 
Sixteen women were forthwith strangled, and their bodies buried 
close to the door of the great house in which the strangers were 
lodged. Then in quick succession they were compelled to witness 
scenes of cruelty and degradation too deep for words. Deeds of 
darkest abomination were the familiar sights of everyday life, and 
the people of Somo Somo proved themselves fully entitled to the 
character they bore throughout the group, of being the vilest of the 
vile. Cannibal feasts, attended by wildest orgies, were of constant 
occurrence, the bodies being cooked in ovens close to the house in 
which Mr Hunt and Mr Lyth had their quarters ; and so great was 
the offence they gave by closing the doors to try and shut out the 
revolting scenes, that their own lives were endangered, and the 
king's son, Tuikilakila, came up furiously, club in hand, threatening 
to kill Mr Lyth, who had ventured on remonstrance. 

There was one awful night in particular, when they believed 
their doom to be decided. There was no thought of defence, for 
that was quite impossible; but they closed the frail doers, hung 
up curtains of native cloth to hide them from the eyes that peered 
in through the slight reed wall on the great gloomy house, and 
throughout the long hours of that terrible night they knelt in 
prayer, expecting each moment that the savages would rush in and 
seal their doom. An awful brooding stillness prevailed, which sud- 
denly was broken by a wild ringing yell ; but it was not a death- 
shout. The people had determined to spare the strangers, and the 
call was an invitation to all the women to come out and dance, 
which they accordingly did. 

Scenes such as these marked the early years of the mission. 
So far from granting the promised protection, the chiefs opposed 
the work in every possible way, forbidding the people to become 
Christian on pain of death and the oven. The ladies and their 
children dared not leave the close house in the heart of the town, 
and their health suffered from the confinement. 

After a while Mr Lyth's medical skill brought him into some 
repute, and the young chief was his first patient, — a man of magni- 
ficent stature and physical development. Mr Lyth attended him 
during a long illness, and had the satisfaction of seeing him recover 
his health, and also of feeling that he had in a measure won his 
friendship. 

The old king, too, was seriously ill, and claimed medical aid ; 



196 AT HOME m FIJI. 

but lie was not a pleasant patient, as, on the slightest provocation, 
he would seize his club and threaten to kill his doctor, who on 
one occasion fled, leaving his coat-tail in the hand of his interest- 
ing patient — a loss not easily replaced at Somo Somo ! It was at 
this time (1842) that Mr Cross came to stay here, to profit by Mr 
Lyth's medical skill; but it was too late. The constant wearing 
anxieties of his life, first in the Friendly Islands, and afterwards 
at Lakemba and Yiwa — continually striving and struggling with 
men fiercer and more degraded than any wild beasts — had utterly 
worn him out : and he arrived here only to enter into his well- 
earned rest, leaving a widow and five children. So he was laid 
here ; and some little graves beside him tell of the sorrowing 
mothers whose little ones died in those sad years. Xot long after 
this came the ceremony of the old king's death. For some time 
he had gradually grown more and more feeble; and though a 
virulent old heathen, and most inveterate cannibal, his appearance 
was so venerable and benevolent, that the mission party had 
become positively attached to him. Latterly they had begun to 
acquire a little influence over him, and had succeeded in saving 
some women from being strangled, and some war-captives from 
"being slain for the oven. Several large canoes had also been 
launched, and suffered to make their first voyage, without the 
sacrifice of one human victim, — a thing hitherto unprecedented; 
and though all Christian teaching was strongly opposed, it had 
not been wholly without result. Twenty-one persons had found 
courage openly to profess themselves converts, one of these being 
the king's brother. So there was good reason to hope that the 
old man would be allowed to die a natural death ; and the chief 
anxiety of Mr Williams, who had succeeded Mr Hunt as mis- 
sionary here, was to save the lives of the women. Having left the 
old king apparently pretty well, he was much startled on hearing 
next morning that he was dead, and that preparations were being 
made for his funeral. He hurried back to the house, to find the 
family in the very act of strangling two veiled figures. Each was 
surrounded by a company of women, all sitting on the ground ; 
and on either side of each group a row of eight or ten strong men 
were hauling a white cord, which was passed round the neck of 
the victim. Too late to save these, he passed on to look at the 
dead chief, and to his astonishment found him still alive, though 
his chief wife was preparing him for the grave, by covering him 
with a coat of black powder, tying streamers of white native cloth 
round his arms and legs, a scarlet handkerchief on his head, arm- 



FTJNEKAL OF A CANNIBAL CHIEF. 197 

lets, and head ornament of small white cowries, a necklace of large 
whales' teeth, with long curved points, and an immense train of 
new native cloth, arranged in loose folds at his feet. This done, a 
blast of trumpet-shells was blown by the priests, and the chief 
priest, in the name of the people, hailed Tuikilakila as king, say- 
ing, " The sun of one king has set, but our king yet lives." It is 
the Fijian rendering of " Le roi est mort ; vive le roi ! " 

Seeing that all pleading for the life of the old chief must be 
without avail, Mr Williams had to content himself with praying 
that the two women already strangled might suffice ; and to this 
the young chief agreed, adding that, but for his intercession, all 
the women present should have died. Those who had already 
been put to death had been duly decorated, their faces covered 
with vermilion, their bodies oiled, and adorned with garlands of 
leaves and flowers. They were then wrapped in mats, and carried 
to the sea-shore, Avhere they were laid on either end of a canoe. 
For some reason unexplained, the king might not be carried out 
by a common doorway ; so the side of his house was broken down, 
and he too was carried to the canoe, where his queen sat by him, 
fanning him to keep off the flies. She had asked, with well- 
assumed grief, why she too might not be strangled, but was soothed 
by being assured that there was no one present of sufficiently high 
rank to act as her executioner. 

So the funeral procession started for Weilangi, where the chiefs 
of Somo Somo are buried , and the grave having been lined with 
mats, the two women were laid in it, as grass for the king's grave ; 
and then he too was laid therein (having first been stripped of his 
necklace and shell ornaments). Cloth and mats were heaped over 
him : and the poor old man was distinctly heard coughing Avhile 
the earth was being heaped on him. 

So died the fierce chief Tui Thakow. A period of ceremonial 
mourning followed, when men shaved their heads, and women 
burnt their bodies and cut off their fingers, sixty of which were 
inserted in hollow reeds, and stuck along the eaves of the king's 
house, as pleasant and fragrant tokens of sympathy. 

Tuikilakila being now the great and all-powerful chief, his 
determined opposition to the preaching of Christianity made the 
work of the mission almost hopeless. He publicly repeated his 
determination to kill and eat any of the people who should venture 
to interest themselves in the matter. So after toiling for two 
years more, in the face of this most disheartening opposition, Mr 
Williams determined to abandon this unfruitful field for a season. 



198 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

He had, however, to escape, almost hy stratagem, as the mission 
stores and articles of barter were precious in the eyes of the people, 
who would have kept him prisoner had his intention been known. 

So evil continued to run riot unchecked ; and Tuikilakila, who 
had assumed the royal title of Tui Thakow, continued his evil 
ways till 1854, when he was murdered, while asleep, by his own 
son. That son was murdered by his brother, to avenge the death 
of the father, and this brother was himself murdered in his turn. 
Then civil war broke out ; the tribe became divided against itself ; 
every man's hand was against his neighbour ; and soon the land 
was made desolate, and the town of Somo Somo, once the strongest 
power in Fiji, was left utterly deserted. 

Now that peace is established in the land, and that the successor 
of the old Tui Thakows is responsible to England for the wise 
government of his people, all might be well were it not for the fatal 
influence of drink, — that curse which the chiefs have so wisely 
made it a criminal offence to supply to their people, but which 
some of themselves, and this noble-looking fellow above all others, 
find it impossible to resist. 1 

I send you all this long story just to give you a faint idea of the 
horrible scenes that formerly made up the simple incidents of daily 
life in this now quiet lovely place ; but of course I cannot possibly 
expect you to realise them, as we do, who are actually on the spot 
— the more so, as my companions have been eyewitnesses of very 
similar scenes in different parts of the group, and have heard all de- 
tails of these events from people who actually took part in them, 
— many of the worst cannibals of those days being now useful and 
devoted Christians ; some are even teachers and class-leaders. 

The loveliness of the night tempting us to stroll further, we 
came to an old graveyard, and noticed that the fence round it also 
enclosed a large native house. Here it was that the father of the 
present Tui Thakow was murdered, and his wife strangled at the 
funeral. They were buried in the house, which was then aban- 
doned and rendered tambu {i.e., sacred or forbidden to touch) to 
all Fijians. 

Wc sat for long on a grassy hillock, rejoicing in the clear brill- 
iant moonlight and balmy air, and quite regretted the necessity of 

1 The demon drink did its work, and this magnificent chief died not long after 
the above was written. He is succeeded in his rank and office by Ratu Lai a, his 
son by Andi Eleanor— a fine young fellow, who has bet-n brought up in the special 
care of Mr Thurston, and has received a sound English education at Sydney. A 
short account of his installation as Roko of the district will be found at the close 
of this letter. 



RATU LALA. 199 

sleep. Andi Luciana bad most kindly given me her own especial 
corner, with her large so-called mosquito-curtains of native cloth : 
I took the precaution of hanging up my own, however. A similar 
screen had been prepared for Mr and Mrs Langham, and our hostess 
had retired with her ladies to sleep in a large house close by, called 
her kitchen. I could not help contrasting our peaceful night, left 
in possession of this clean new house, with that awful night of 
dread, when Mrs Lyth and Mrs Hunt, with their little ones, watched 
through the long hours in the dark, gloomy, old house, waiting for 
the moment of their massacre. We all slept in peace, and no ill 
dreams disturbed our rest. 

This morning it is raining heavily, to which fact you are in- 
debted for this long letter. A kind white man — I think his name 
is M'Pherson — -has just sent us in a bottle of milk, with some nice 
fresh bread, a pot of home-made marmalade, and a large basket of 
lemons, which are most refreshing on board ship. It is a most 
acceptable present, and we are about to enjoy our breakfast. 



Extract from the 'Fiji Times, 1 Wednesday, August 11, 1880. 
" Installation of Ratu Lala. 

" The installation of Ratu Lala as Roko Tin Cakaudrove, in place of his 
father the late Tui Cakau, took place at an early hour on Thursday morning 
last at Somo Somo. 

"His Excellency the Governor landed from H.M.S. Wolverene between 
seven and eight o'clock, and immediately afterwards proclamation was made by 
the Mati ni Vanuas of Cakaudrove that the chief was about to be installed ; an 
announcement which was met by the beating of all the lalis in the town, 
and by peculiar cries and shouts by the people assembled from within their 
houses, inside which, by immemorial usage, they were expected to remain dur- 
ing the ceremony. After these regulation cries, the most death-like silence Avas 
observed until the close of the proceedings. The elders of the province then 
assembled in the large house occupied by the late Tui Cakau, and were all care- 
fully seated according to the rank and precedence of each, an operation requiring 
some time. When this was accomplished, his Excellency and his staff entered 
the building and the making of yaqona commenced. According to the etiquette 
on these occasions, this was made in silence, without any song or meke; and, 
when made, various set forms of speech and response were uttered, the names 
and deeds of the ancestors of the new chief commemorated, and prayers for 
blessings on the people, the fruits, the animals, &c, of the land, pronounced, 
these being almost an exact counterpart of those formerly addressed to the 
heathen gods, but which were now offered to the True God and the Holy 
Spirit. On the conclusion of these ceremonies, his Excellency declared the 
bowl of yaqona just taken from the tanoa, to be that for the drinking of the 
1 Na Turaga ko na Roko Ratu Tui Cakaudrove,' thereby conferring that desig- 
laticn on Ratu Lala, who drank its contents. 

* < TVhen he had done so, the Mati ni Vanua again made proclamation, and 



200 



AT HOME IN FIJI. 



the same beating of lalis and tumultuous shouting which had preceded the 
commencement of the proceedings, was repeated, and the injunction on the 
people to remain within doors removed. 

" A dinner was now brought in bj T the ladies of the place and laid before the 
new Roko Tui, who, according to precedent, ate a few mouthfuis. The native 
ceremonial being thus concluded, the more European part of the ceremony 
began. His Excellency took his seat on a raised platform covered with mats 
and masi, and the young Roko, rising for the first time during the proceed- 
ings, and having his long train of black and white masi, perhaps thirty yards 
in length, supported by some of his followers, approached his Excellency, and 
sitting before him, took the oath of allegiance to the Queen, and one of obedi- 
ence to the Governor, placing his hands within those of his Excellency as he 
did so. The Governor then delivered to him the long staff of office, at the 
same time pronouncing these words, ' Take with this staff, authority to rule as 
Roko Tui in the province of Cakaudrove. Take heed to the welfare of the 
people submitted to your care. Be to them a father, not a taskmaster. Lead- 
them, guide them, teach them ; and in all your doings remember that strict 
and solemn account which you must one day render at the judgment-seat of 
God.' 

" The Roko having returned to his seat his Excellency made a few brief re- 
marks to those assembled, and the proceedings terminated,'* 



Nanduri, the Chief Town of Mathtjata, 
Vanua Levu, August 7. 

We arrived here yesterday. But you will like to hear of our 
voyage in detail. So to return to Somo Somo. "When we went 
to say good-bye to Andi Luciana, we found her, with all her atten- 
dants, busily making native cloth, as were also most of the women 
in the town. They are preparing for a great meeting of the chiefs, 
at which all their finery will be required. However, I succeeded 
in buying several pieces of very delicately painted tappa. 

This great meeting, at which Sir Arthur is to be present, is 
a topic of vast interest. Already four houses, each twelve fathoms 
long, and tied with the best sinnet, have been built for guests, and 
there is a special house for the kovana (governor). Already 150 
turtle have been captured, and are kept in the turtle-fences, ready 
for the great festival : so it is to be a great event. In one house 
we found women making coarse pottery, but I was not tempted to 
add it to my collection. 

We had a long row to the Jubilee, and then made slow progress. 
All the morning there was hardly a breath stirring ; but at noon 
the wind rose sharply, and about 3 p.m. it became so gusty, and 
the weather altogether so threatening, that the captain, not knowing 
the coast, and wisely avoiding unnecessary risk, decided to anchor 
for the night off Eambi Island. The water was so deep that 
we were able to anchor close to the shore, in a lovely bay. The 



RAMBI ISLAND. 201 

island belongs exclusively to two planters — Messrs Dawson and 
Hill, — and the point where we landed was five miles from their 
house — that of their overseer occupying a prominent position on a 
high rock above us. He was, however, absent, and we found only 
two Tanna men in charge of the place. 

A tame cat, however, welcomed us with delight, and never left 
us — trotting beside us in all our rambles. AVe found pleasant 
paths leading through fine bush, the foliage very rich, and immense 
specimens of the bird's-nest fern growing as a parasite on the pan- 
danus and other trees; then passing through a field of maize I 
gathered and ate half -ripe corn-cobs, which were excellent — stolen 
bread being proverbially so : it is a beautiful crop, growing far 
above my head. Then we went on to inspect the deserted house, 
which stands on a great mass of brown rock, in the crevices of 
which grow huge hart's-tongue and other ferns. It commands a 
lovely view of the bay on either side, but is the flimsiest of all 
the breezy houses I have seen in Fiji — merely built of open-work 
reeds —and as a stiff wind was blowing, we thought we should gain 
little by sleeping in it, so returned to the shore and took possession 
of a forsaken boat-house, where we spread our waterproofs, blan- 
kets, and pillows. The Fijian teachers who accompanied us pre- 
pared beds of dried plantain-leaves for themselves, and kindled a 
great fire on the beach, which they continually fed with dead palm- 
leaves to keep up a cheery blaze. There we boiled our kettle for 
tea, and had a cheery meal in the moonlight, and then explored the 
white sands till we came to picturesque dark rocks, encircling a 
tiny bay, with great trees overhanging the water — a gem of a bath- 
ing-place. We dare not often venture on sea-bathing, as we never 
know how close inshore the sharks will venture. 

The night proved stormy, and we rejoiced greatly that we were 
spending it on dry land. The island is about thirty miles in cir- 
cumference, and is chiefly a great cocoa-nut plantation. The nuts 
are brought from all parts of the island to the machinery houses on 
the beach, below Mr Hill's house, where they are broken up, and 
the kernel dried, either in the sun or by steam in the drying-house, 
by which process it becomes coppra ; and being then packed in 
bags, is ready for export, to be converted into oil by great crushing- 
machines. The outer husk is then passed into machines known as 
"devils," by which it is torn up, and the fibre combed out and cleaned, 
and passed through a screw- press, by which it is compressed into 
bales, and so prepared for the market, to reappear as mats and 
brushes, and other familiar objects. I wonder how many people, 



202 AT HOME IN FIJI, 

as they rub off English mud on such cocoa-mats, ever give a 
thought to the beautiful isles where that fibre was grown, or to 
the regiment of wild, almost naked, savages — the " foreign labour " 
— who, from one circumstance or another, have each left the far- 
away isle he calls home, to come and work the strange machinery 
on the white man's plantation ! 

At daybreak, after a hurried breakfast, we left the lovely island 
with much regret. A strong wind and a heavy sea gave us a rough, 
wet, unpleasant day while we crossed Natewa Bay, off Vanua Levu 
— thirty miles of open sea. Then we once more neared the land, 
entered the passage of Namooka, and were again in smooth water. 
Oh the blessedness of being safe inside the reef ! — the delight of 
that sudden change from tossing in miserable discomfort on the 
great waste of unreasoning waters, to the perfect repose of gliding 
over the calm untroubled lake that lies within the mighty coral 
breakwater which the raging breakers may never overpass ! 

We were now coasting close along the shore of Yanua Levu, 
which at this point is very bare and unfertile, in striking contrast 
to the luxuriant isles we had just left. The whole coast, with its 
fine mountain-ranges, reminded me strongly of Argyleshire, the 
noko-noko (casurina trees) taking the place of birch. But for some 
stunted palms, and grotesque pcmdanus, we could not have told we 
were in the tropics ; and indeed the cold blue- grey foliage of the 
latter is nowise suggestive of a land of sunny influences. Further 
on, the coast is edged with the glossy green of the tiri (mangrove), 
which always tells of a hateful swampy shore, over which the roots 
of this water-loving tree spread in an inextricable network. Hidden 
in this swamp, swarming with mosquitoes, lies the deserted town 
of Mota, one of many which have been left desolate, either in con- 
sequence of intertribal war, or the ravages of the measles. Just 
before sunset we came to a lovely uninhabited isle, where we 
anchored for the night. Determined not to sleep on board the 
schooner, her cabin being stuffy, and her deck hard, we went ashore 
to explore. We landed on a beach of fine white sand, shadowed 
by palms and rich hardwood, and enclosed by high sandstone cliffs 
of warm colours : and here Ave had supper, and hunted for sleeping- 
quarters. We found an overhanging rock, just like the rock-temples 
of Ceylon, where the sacred images of Buddha are carved ; and I 
really thought we looked rather like a row of Buddhas as we 
lay beneath this rock-canopy. What with the calm sea, and the 
mingled light of the red fires and the clear moonlight, glittering on 
the great waving palm-leaves, and all the brown teachers cooking 



NANDUEI. 203 

1 their yams, it was a most picturesque scene ; and the invariable 
I evening prayer and singing acquires deeper interest when one 
. thinks how recently a canoe, landing in such a place, would come 
| in cautiously, not knowing whether hidden foes might not be lying 
; in wait to club and eat its crew. The morning and evening family 
| prayer is invariable. 

It was a lovely night, clear and beautiful. At sunrise we em- 
| barked, and sailed with a fair wind, still keeping close inshore. 
' The scenery continued to suggest Argyleshire, range beyond range 
! of mountains, detached masses of rock and islands, pretty colour- 
I ing, but poor vegetation — a calm and pleasant sail. 

About noon we reached this town, Nanduri, which is the capital 
of this district of Mathuata. It is badly situated, being on a 
muddy shore, densely overgrown with mangrove, but it is very tidy 
and rather pretty. The quarters prepared for us were a tiny new 
house, built of coral-lime, and nicely matted. This, to the Fijian 
mind, is the very acme of architecture and foreign art. I confess 
to infinitely preferring the purely native house, with reed or leaf 
sides, and many doors. Food was immediately brought to us, 
according to the usual hospitable custom. Several women each 
carried a tray of plaited fibre, on which lay pieces of green banana- 
leaf, with yams of different sorts, taro, and sweet potatoes. Another 
had a black pot, in which was a fowl, which had been boiled with 
taro tops, making an excellent soup ; others had fresh-water prawns 
and small fish ; and then came the height of culinary triumph, in 
several kinds of pudding with sweet sauce, all tied up in pieces of 
young banana-leaf, warmed "over the fire to make them oil-proof, 
and looking like little green bags. Then came the formal custom- 
ary little speeches of offering and accepting all these good things — 
of which we partook, and then went off to call upon the chief. 

The worthy man deemed it necessary quickly to don a shirt, 
with the tail worn outside, over his handsome chief -like drapery 
of tappa. He stood facing us for fully two minutes while he 
struggled with his buttons, ere he was ready to shake hands and 
welcome us to his town. Then he took us into his house to see 
his wife, after which ceremony our chief care was, as usual, to find 
some quiet shady corner where we might enjoy a bathe undis- 
turbed. Our quest, however, proved unsatisfactory, the brook 
being shallow, and the group of admiring women and children 
unusually inquisitive. jN~o wonder ! Two white women were a 
sight rarely seen; and one being so tall, the other small, added 
interest to the spectacle. And when the pale creatures divested 



204 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

themselves of successive articles of raiment, so needlessly numerous, 
and then took off their boots, revealing stockings, and when the 
stockings gave place to feet many shades paler than the sun- 
browned face and hands, their curiosity on the subject knew no 
bounds ; moreover, we were accompanied by Mrs Langham's god- 
daughter, a very fair delicate little girl, whose sunny hair was 
always a source of delight to the people wherever we stopped. 
And indeed Mrs L. has herself such masses of beautiful long silky 
hair as might well astonish these women, accustomed from their 
childhood to have their own crisp locks cut within four inches of 
the head, round which it stands out, like a halo — being always of 
a tawny sienna colour, from the lime with which it is so constantly 
washed. 

Having completed our toilet, we returned to the village, where 
there was service in a large church, which was crowded with 
a most devout congregation. Many strangers from surrounding 
villages were present, — as were also all interested in the teachers, 
schools and church matters generally, — to meet the superintendent, 
and decide certain questions ; moreover, the chief was anxious that 
the annual mission meeting should be celebrated with unusual 
demonstration. So a very large number of persons had assembled, 
and many turtle had already been captured for the feast. 

I devoted this morning to sketching the curious little jail, a 
building of strong cocoa-nut posts, deeply sunken in the earth, 
which is dug out to make the cell, the earth being heaped up out- 
side, almost to the eaves of the wide-thatched roof. It seemed as 
if the principal and speedy result of imprisonment must be suffoca- 
tion ; but the idea of having a jail at all is as novel as a black 
coat, and as foreign to Fijian custom. A canoe is just starting 
for some point whence letters are forwarded to Levuka, so I must 
close this. 

Nanduri, Vanua Levu, Friday, August 11. 

My dear Jean, — I have already sent Nell a long letter from 
here, now I will begin one to you, to carry on my story, though I 
can only write occasional fragments, as there are so many interest- 
ing things to see and do. It was a pleasant surprise in this remote 
district to find a countryman — Mr Fraser from Nairn, and his 
wife. They invited us to dine in their Fijian house, a simple one- 
roomed cottage, but made pleasant and home-like by a few decora- 
tive touches, and by the presence of the young mother and her 
little ones. 



LACK OF TEACHERS. 205 

The Langhams being necessarily much absorbed in matters re- 
lating to their work, these kind new friends undertook to show me 
as much as they could of the neighbourhood. So hist we climbed 
up a green valley to a village on the brow of the hill, whence we 
had a fine view of this " Great Land " as we looked inwards to 
its mountain-ranges. Here we first found the sago-palm with its 
clusters of small nuts : and also gathered loads of lilac orchids. 
On our way back, looking seawards, we saw quite a fleet of pic- 
turesque canoes, with great yellow mat-sails, approaching the isle. 
Loud and discordant blasts on their shell-trumpets announced that 
they brought a large addition to the turtles required for the feast : 
five or six have been cooked every day since we arrived, a small 
item in the feeding of so great a multitude. They are cleaned and 
then baked in their shells. The chief also gives one thousand 
yams and three or four pigs daily. The amount of green fat that 
has been bestowed on us would have rejoiced a true gourmet ; but 
his enjoyment would have been alloyed by the fact that the turtle 
are invariably cooked before presentation, and very badly cooked 
too, being invariably smoky and insipid. 

We reached the shore just as the canoes were unloading, and in 
a few moments fifteen large turtle lay on their backs on the grassy 
bank, flapping and gaping piteously. These were an offering to 
the chief from the new-comers. They have mustered in great 
force. Fully three thousand people have assembled on this wild 
coast. They have come from long distances, and from every direc- 
tion, to attend this meeting of such teachers as there are, and to 
beg that a larger number may be provided. They say that sixty 
towns are now without teachers. But the difficulty is to provide 
the men fitted for the work, most of the candidates being simply 
young students, not ripe for such responsible posts. 

About twelve miles from Nanduri there is a small but very 
picturesque rocky island, called Kia, — a bold mass jutting up from 
the sea. I longed to see it nearer, and the Frasers most kindly 
agreed to accompany me. The chief lent us his fine large canoe 
and capital crew, which included several of his own kinsfolk — 
stalwart, chief-like men. 

We started soon after sunrise, and a fresh breeze carried us over 
in a couple of hours. The island is a perfect triumph of careful 
cultivation. By nature it was only a huge mass of bare rock ; but 
so diligently have its inhabitants filled up every crevice with soil 
brought from the mainland, that they have succeeded in growing 
bo many palms and bananas, that now, when seen from the sea, 



206 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

this once barren rock appears positively fertile. "We landed at a 
village where the chief was superintending the finishing of a huge 
mat canoe sail, which was spread upon the ground in the cool 
shadow of a group of old trees. Of course we had to go through 
the form of being received in the house ; but on expressing a wish 
to breakfast beside the sea, we were invited to sit on the mat-sail, 
and allowed to be happy in our own way. 

I only wish it were possible to convey to you all the impressions 
of delight of such a day as this — all the thousand details of beauty, 
which give such light and gladness to the life I find so fascinating, 
though it sounds so dry and dead when I try to put it into words. 
Just try if you can, ever so faintly, realise the picture. A calm 
glittering blue sea, white coral sands sparkling in the sunlight, 
ourselves in deep cool shade of dense glossy foliage, whence 
bunches of rosy silky tassels float down with every breath of air, 
as playthings for tiny brown children in lightest raiment. And 
then the multitude of wandering shells, each tenanted by a shy 
hermit crab, assembling cautiously round us to gather up stray 
crumbs. Close by are the graves of successive generations of these 
hardy fishers, who have lived and died on this tiny isle, without an 
aspiration beyond it. Now the graves are overgrown with tangles 
of the marine convolvulus with lilac blossom, while the starry 
white convolvulus hangs in light drapery from the rocks beyond. 
And beyond the sea rise the blue mountain-ranges of Yanua Levu, 
in ever-changing light and shadow. 

Mrs Eraser had brought her two little ones with her; so she 
decided to spend the day at this quiet spot, while her husband ac- 
companied me on a walk round the island. Her perfect knowledge 
of the language makes her thoroughly at home with all these kindly 
people. So we started on our walk, which Ave found practicable, 
except at one point, where, the cliffs being precipitous, and the tide 
having risen, I had to accept the offer of a strong native, to carry 
me round a headland to the next bay. He took me up in his arms 
like a big baby, and though forced to confess that I was blmbi sara 
— i.e., very heavy — he carried me ever so far round in the sea ! 

"We visited each of the four quaint little villages, and entered 
innumerable houses, searching for baskets of a particular kind only 
made here. In this quest we were tolerably successful, and stayed 
some time to watch the women weaving them with dexterous 
fingers : they are of very fine fibre and most intricate pattern. Of 
course we were objects of mutual interest, and the astonishment of 
the people at our sudden appearance knew no bounds. I doubt 



A NIGHT ON KIA. 207 

whether any of these people had ever seen a white woman before — 
Mrs Fraser's presence, even at Nanduri, being purely accidental (her 
husband having just been appointed to superintend the formation 
of the new district gardens, by the produce of which every district 
is henceforth to pay its taxes). 

We succeeded in buying some interesting specimens of old manu- 
factures, carved bowls, and stone axes, then turned aside to visit 
some most poetic burial-grounds. One of them haunts me still, it 
was so peaceful — a lonely grassy headland, with half-a-dozen graves, 
strewn with red or white coral, and shadowed by one palm. It 
was sheltered by great red cliffs, and beyond it lay the calm wide 
ocean bathed in glittering light. I would fain have lingered to 
sketch the scene, but we had to hurry on as fast as we could pos- 
sibly walk. Such a scramble ! As it was, we found on our return 
that the wind had changed, and we could not return to the main- 
land that night. At first we insisted on starting, and actually 
embarked, but we saw that the crew were really afraid of danger, 
so of course we yielded and came ashore again, when the kind 
islanders brought us a capital supper. The people are all fishers, 
and a canoe-load of rainbow-coloured fish — some pure scarlet, some 
vivid green, some silvery — had just been brought in, as also many 
crabs. 

Most mothers would have been somewhat perturbed at such a 
contretemps ; but Mrs Fraser took it quite calmly, and the people 
provided us with fine mats, and as a matter of course conducted us 
to the vale ni lotu (the house of religion), where we slept undis- 
turbed — my big sun-hat acting as my pillow. But after a while I 
awoke, and crept out into the clear moonlight, and sat alone on the 
silent shore, drinking in the delicious night breeze. 

Towards morning it blew pretty hard, but at sunrise Mr Fraser 
got a small canoe to enable me to reach a cliff which I wished to 
sketch; but the canoe was so tiny, and the sea so rough, that it 
was on the verge of swamping. We therefore landed, and walked 
as far as was possible. Then I got in alone, and the boatman, a 
'cute, sturdy little fellow, half paddled, half swam, while I rapidly 
made my drawing. 

We walked back, found breakfast ready, and once more em- 
barked. The fine canoe flew before the wind, cutting through the 
water beautifully, of course shipping seas and involving much 
bailing out — a process which is sometimes done with a wooden 
scoop, but more frequently by throwing out the water with the 
sole of the foot, using it like a hand. It needed half-a-dozen tacks 



208 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

to bring us to land; and" each of these, in a canoe of this size, 
involves serious labour, as the base of the heavy triangular sail 
must be lifted by main force, and carried to the opposite end of 
the canoe by the combined strength of several men. 

On the way a bit of the great mat- sail came unsewn, and the 
men in charge (themselves high caste) were in such terror of arriv- 
ing with anything wrong that we ran in behind the mangroves to 
sew it up ere they would venture to go on, as they dared not face the 
chief with anything out of order. This, his own canoe, is the only 
one which dares approach Nanduri with sail up and flag flying, 
and as he was not on board, even we dipped the flag as we drew 
near, the flag being a streamer of masi. All other canoes must 
lower their sail while at a considerable distance, and row to shore, 
as a mark of deep respect. 

We called on the chief to thank him for the loan of his canoe, 
and found his people dispensing food to their guests on rather an 
extensive scale of entertainment. The business part of the meet- 
ing was nearly over, and the people were all arriving for the solevu, 
or great feast of the morrow. In the evening there was singing, 
and some dancing by torchlight, but no Fijian cares to dance much 
till the moon rises, and that was not due before midnight. 

Next morning many more canoes arrived — such a pretty bust- 
ling scene ; and as it would be rash to put on festal array before 
landing, all the best cloth and garlands came in baskets, and the 
whole shore was one great dressing-room, where the mysteries of 
the toilet were carried on in the sight of the sun. The weather 
was greatly in our favour, for though heavy clouds hung threaten- 
ingly over us they merely shielded us from the sun, and no rain 
fell. 

Soon after breakfast we all went to the vara {i.e., village green), 
where we were invited to sit beside the Itoko (the chief, Tui 
Xdreketi). 

The principal business of the day was an exchange of presents. 
First of all the teachers and their special followers gave gifts of 
cloth and whales' teeth to the great chief. So the six native 
ministers and about sixty teachers advanced, dressed up in many 
extra yards of native cloth, beautifully designed, and trailing on 
the ground in trains many yards long. Then followed people 
from other towns, also dressed up. They danced pretty dances, 
and all shook off their fine drapery at the feet, of the chief — an 
example followed by the grave teachers, who made a pretty speech, 
formally presenting the tappa to the Eoko, and then retreated 






FIJIAN OFFERTORY. 209 

much shorn. The cloth made two great heaps, which the chief 
divided next morning among his followers. This giving took the 
whole morning. 

After lunch came what I may call the offertory, as every one 
brought according to his ability for the furtherance and support of 
Christian work. We now found our places set on the other side 
of the village green, lest it might seem as if the offerings now to 
be made were to the chief instead of the mission. First 1000 
women advanced single file, each bringing a mat, or a bunch of 
live crabs, or dried fish, or a basket of yams — one brought a ludi- 
crous roast parrot; then as many men came up, bringing six or 
eight large turtle, seven or eight live pigs, fowls, yams, palm-cloth, 
&c. One tiny child brought a large cock in his arms. lie was 
such a jolly little chap — well oiled, with scarlet sulu (kilt) of 
turkey-red, and white native cloth, and quaint, partially shaven 
head — they shave in such odd patterns, leaving little tufts and 
curls. Then followed all the usual very graceful dances, which I 
have so often described, and some new ones, in which every dancer 
carried a dried fish, let into a piece of a split cocoa palm leaf, and 
waved it fan-like, just to mark them as fishers. Everywhere we 
note the same wonderful flexibility and marvellous time kept in 
most intricate ballet-figures. But coarse sticks take the place of 
the old carved clubs, and some ungraceful traces of British trade 
appear. Here one man was dressed in a large union- jack pocket- 
handkerchief ! and a woman wore the foot and stalk of a broken 
wine-glass as an earring ! The people appear to be very poor, and 
less tasteful in making their necklace-garlands and kilts. At sun- 
set there was a pause, and then Mr Langham gave the multitude 
what seemed to be a most impressive little address, and a few 
minutes later the whole 3000 were kneeling prostrate on the grass. 
It was a very striking scene, remembering that these people are 
only just emerging from heathenism ; but they are so very cordial 
to the mission, and so anxious to be taught, it seems hard that 
there should be such difficulty in getting native teachers trained, 
and this is greatly owing to the lack of white missionaries. 

To-night there is a dance by torchlight, which will become fast 
and furious when the moon rises. Already the people are having 
a right merry time. I have just been out with Mrs Langham for 
a little turn ; but her husband was unable to come with us, and 
we did not like to mix much in so large a crowd, or indeed to be 
seen there, not knowing whether the dances might be such as we 
should seem to sanction. But it is wonderful, when you come to 

o 



210 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

think of it, that two ladies and a little child should be able to go 
about at all, on such a night, among 3000 wild people, as yet so 
utterly untaught. But those who did notice us were all most 
courteous, and I am glad to have had even a glimpse of this wild 
weird scene, which, with its accompaniment of shouts, yells, and 
measured hand-clapping, is the most savage thing I have yet wit- 
nessed. Now we are back in our own coral- lime house. Mr 
Langham has just married a couple, and is now busy with his 
teachers. We leave this place to-morrow morning. It is a most 
hospitable district, and sufficiently uncivilised even for me ! This 
morning a horrible old ex-cannibal crept close to Mr Langham, 
and then, as if he could not refrain, he put out his hand and 
stroked him down the thigh, licking his lips, and exclaiming with 
delight, " Oh, but you are nice and fat ! " 

On board the Jubilee, off Neivaka Point, 
August 13. 

We are lying at anchor here, and the others have gone ashore 
to hold service. I would fain go and bathe in the lovely little 
stream, but as such a proceeding would divide the attractions, and 
might diminish the congregation, I had better have a chat with 
you instead. We left ISTanduri yesterday morning, after an in- 
credible amount of hand-shaking, and '■ love-giving," as the Chris- 
tian Fijians say — Sa loloma being their kindty greeting to us. 
They also have a graceful form of farewell, exactly answering to the 
" A demain," " Au revoir," " A rivederla," or " Auf Wiedersehen," 
of nations nearer home. When we say, Sa lakki mothe, which 
means " go to sleep," they reply, Boa roa, " to-morrow morning," 
meaning we shall meet again soon. Very pretty is their word for 
the twilight, luma luma, which just answers to our gloaminy. 

I told you about our last evening at Nanduri. 

In the early morning all the mats, cloth, &c, presented to the 
mission were brought in and divided. I, as a visitor, was presented 
with a live turtle, a whale's tooth, and four mats, also a basket and 
some fans from the chief's wife. And when the pile of native 
cloth presented to the chief had been divided among his followers, 
I was able to buy some very, beautiful specimens. 

Having formally taken leave of the Eoko and his family, we 
embarked, leaving Mathuata with very pleasant impressions of the 
hearty genial kindness of its people. The day was lovely, and we 
were able to sail all the way inside the reef, so there was the 
double advantage of being in smooth water and seeing the coast 



THE CHIEF OF MBUA. 211 

to perfection. For the tropics, it is very barren, pandanus and 
noko-noko being the principal foliage. At this season the people 
in all parts of the isles have an annual burning of the tall reeds to 
clear the land for their plantations. The smoky haz3 gives a rich 
lurid colour to the atmosphere, and deepens the blue of the near 
mountains, while it blends the distant ranges in soft dreamy lights. 
W,e arrived here at sunset last night. ISTeivaka Point is a grand 
rocky headland, with a very pretty village, on a palm-fringed shore, 
with a clear stream, which here flows into the sea. We went ashore 
for an hour or so, but as we have to push on early this morning, it 
was decided that we must sleep on board. So we all lay on deck 
in the bright starlight, and towards morning there was clear moon- 
light, and then a lovely sunrise. I see the boat coming off from 
the shore, so we shall soon be under way. 



CHAPTEE XIX, 

THE CHIEF OF MBUA — FEUDAL RIGHTS— A NIGHT IN A MISERABLE VILLAGE 
— CHURCH A LA ST COLUMBA — NIGHT ON A DESERT ISLE— SAVU SAVU — 
BOILING SPRINGS — THEIR USE — PAST AND FUTURE. 

Ni Son i Soni, Vanua Levu, 
August 16. 

We are resting in great peace in a large clean church, built of 
coral-lime. It stands apart from the village, on a grassy spit of 
land, divided from the sea-beach only by a border of Fijian lilies 
— overhead are tall cocoa-palms. It is a calm pleasant spot, and 
we hope for a night of peace and rest, of which we stand sorely in 
need. 

We hoped to have reached Mbua about noon on the 13th, but 
we had seventeen miles to make in a head -wind, so it was near 
sunset ere we anchored in the bay, after which we had to row three 
miles up the river, which, like the Rewa, has several mouths, and 
we tried the wrong one first, and rowed a considerable distance up 
a fine stream, dense with tiri (mangrove) on either side. Then, 
retracing our ground, we made a fresh start for the town : but by 
this time it was so dark that we could only discern dark palms 
against the sky, and had to shout to people on the shore to learn 
our way. 



212 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

On reaching the mission station we found the inmates absent, 
but the students lighted up the house, and prepared tea and milk ; 
and soon a kind neighbour (Miss Wilkinson) brought us a "welcome 
gift of fresh butter and bread. I regret to say her father is suffer- 
ing seriously from internal cramp, brought on by long exposure in 
the canoe coming to j^asova with the news of the wreck of the 
Fitzroy. 

A wild storm beat up in the night, and we were thankful to be 
on land. The country round is bleak and barren ; but heavy rain- 
clouds and mists glorified the very shapeless ranges of hills, and 
suggested parts of Scotland. 

In the morning we called on the chief, Tui Mbua, a middle-aged 
man, with a pleasant-looking wife. ^Tot long ago his favourite son 
committed suicide, in his rage at finding his father's laws enforced 
against some of his peccadilloes, as if he had been a hai-see (i.e., of 
low birth). Such very great laxity is allowed to chiefs by the 
feudal system (which always has prevailed in these isles, and is 
likely in a great measure to be continued), that it really must be 
difficult for a man always to stop at the exact point where a chief's 
right becomes wrong. 

There is a system in force called lala, by which a chief may 
claim from his people whatever service or property is required for 
any public work affecting the good and honour of the tribe. This 
is considered right and proper, and his commands are willingly 
obeyed. But the system is liable to great abuse, being constantly 
called interaction merely to gratify some whim or personal pleasure 
of a chief — as, for instance, when he covets some expensive article, 
and his people have to raise the payment. This abuse is called 
vaJca saurara — i.e., " taking by force," and is simply an oppressive 
form of levying black- mail. A common instance of the way in 
which this is done is when a chief (or more probably his son) starts 
on a journey with a party of his retainers, perhaps several canoe - 
loads of people (in former days they would all have been armed 
men). Perhaps they are going to some great feast (a solevu or 
exchange of property), to which they must carry some offerings, 
expecting to receive a good exchange, each district bringing its own 
produce. They probably start literally empty-handed ; but at every 
village where they halt, they demand not only food but gifts, and 
a Fijian thinks it shameful to refuse to give anything for which he 
is asked. So these rolling stones disprove the old proverb, for they 
gather as they go, and reach the solevu well provided — their pro- 
gress along the coast being marked by every manner of evil ; foj 



FEUDAL EXACTIONS. 213 

they regard neither rights of property nor domestic ties, but are 
simply a curse to the quiet hard-working villagers. They have 
only to see and covet any man's goods, and straightway appropriate 
them. 

I believe the system, in its true and legitimate working, is con- 
sidered both wise and good. It is apparently the only way to get 
a semi- civilised race to work well together for the good of the tribe ; 
and it is a custom Avhich, from time immemorial, has existed 
throughout the group, being the tribute rendered by the people at 
the bidding of their chief, to be repaid by protection and by a fair 
share of all goods acquired by the tribe. It applies to planting 
gardens, making roads, building houses and canoes, fishing for 
turtle, or any other work requiring combined action. People even 
from other districts may be summoned, and in return for their work 
receive daily food, and presents of cloth and whales' teeth on their 
departure. Thus work is done quickly and well which would 
otherwise be impossible. 

Suppose a great canoe has to be built. All the best carpenters 
in the tribe are lava'd, and the fittings of the canoe are lavaka'd 
from every village in the chief's district. Each is required to 
furnish so many fathoms of narrow matting to make the great 
mat-sails. This is provided by the women of the village. Ropes, 
sails, tackling, and all the different fittings, are also thus provided. 
So is the food for the carpenters. Then when the new canoe is 
finished, the people must prepare a great feast at every place where 
it calls. When one great chief visits another, food is lavaka'd for 
the entertainment of the strangers ; and I am told that this occa- 
sions frightful waste, as each chief tries to outdo what others have 
done, that he may appear liberal before his guests. So these visits 
sometimes leave whole districts in a state of famine. 

We heard sore complaints in this district of the chief's exactions 
of compulsory " presents " from the very poor villages hereabouts. 
A short time ago he ordered all the people from far and near to 
assemble and bring him 40,000 yams, 700 mats, and every man a 
whale's tooth, each of which represents upwards of a shilling in 
value, but means far more. It symbolises goodwill : and the 
giving of a whale's tooth accompanies every action of the smallest 
importance — from asking for forgiveness, or claiming the clubbing 
of a foe, or bringing in his body. Well, of course, many of these 
poor men had not got a whale's tooth, so they had to go and beg 
for them from their friends. One canoe which started on this 
quest was upset, and. six men drowned. Two of them left tiny 



214 AT HOME IX FIJI. 

babies, who were brought to be christened at the most wretched of 
all the villages we have seen — one from which you could not con- 
ceive it possible to wish to extort the value of a pin. But it 
struck me that this great chief was far more inclined to receive 
than to give. After witnessing the generosity of the Mathuata 
chief, I was much amused when this man, with considerable for- 
mality, presented ten cocoa-nuts for the use of the teachers and 
crew of the Jubilee, being, I understand, his sole offering to the 
mission for the year. Evidently we have left the unsophisticated 
regions, and returned to those where white influence prevails ! 

Returning on board, we found the 'wind was dead against us, 
and after vainly beating in great misery for several hours, we had 
to anchor for the night within sight of the Wilkinson's house, and 
sorely regretted not having taken their advice to stay where we 
were. We had a hateful evening and night ; and as the cabin was 
unendurable, there was nothing for it but to lie on deck in the rain 
and get soaked, which we did most thoroughly. 

We tried a fresh start in the morning, but there was still a head- 
wind and rain; and everything was so saturated and miserable, 
that it was resolved to anchor off the first village we came to. 
This proved to be ^Namau, a filthy village in the mangrove-swamp, 
poorer and more miserable than any place where we have yet been. 
The people looked diseased from sheer poverty, and we scarcely 
liked to enter their houses, but we were driven to desperation by 
the longing to try and dry our clothes ; and their kindness and 
hospitality knew no bounds. They seemed delighted to welcome 
us to their poor homes, and heaped up blazing fires to dry us and 
all our goods. The fire-places (as I have told you, when speaking 
of other isles) are placed wherever fancy prompts — just a sunken 
oblong, anywhere on the floor, with a few rounded stones, on which 
rest the large earthenware cooking-pots. Very picturesque ! 

We divided ourselves among the different houses, and our goods 
were scattered all over the village ; but everything, to the smallest 
trifle, was brought safely back, and a few small gifts were received 
with wonder and delight. The (very meagre) contents of my 
travelling-bag were gazed at with much interest, especially some 
photographs of sacred subjects in one of my books. They all 
called one another to look at and discuss these ; one of the Cruci- 
fixion, Mary at the foot of the Cross, chiefly riveting their atten- 
tion. I often wonder, considering how many of our own impres- 
sions of sacred things are due to pictures seen in early life, that 
their use is so entirely neglected in all these schools. It may "be 



A WICKER-WORK CHURCH. 215 

because the supply is not forthcoming. Certainly these highly 
imaginative people have always shown themselves wonderfully 
capable of realising things unseen ; and even in their days of most 
gross idolatry, their religion was entirely an appeal to the imagina- 
tion — wild legends of the gods, told in song, but very rarely re- 
duced to the visible form of any idol. The only pictures I have 
seen in any native houses are portraits of (I think) Holloway, 
whose advertisements are duly sent to all native ministers in the 
group. The literature is of course thrown away on them, but the 
portraits, sometimes several in a row, ornament some prominent 
pillar. 

As soon as we were moderately dry, we settled ourselves for the 
night in the wretched little church, which is a miserable spot, with 
mangrove-swamp all round it. It is the tiniest little building of 
wicker-work — quite a St Columba style of architecture, 1 wattle 
without the daub; and the rainy wind blew through it, and the 
mosquitoes took refuge in it. We had a weary night. Being very 
tired, we all hoped for a good night's rest, but had hardly fallen 
asleep when a cheerful brother missionary, in aggravating health 
and spirits, chanced to anchor at a neighbouring village, and in his 
delight at hearing his friends were so -near, he came over and woke 
us all, and kept the gentlemen talking the whole night. Pleasant 
for Mrs L. and myself, who were vainly striving to sleep ! At early 
dawn the two little orphan babies I told you about were brought 
to be christened, so we had to hurry over our dressing, and for once 

1 In truth, such scenes as these often carried me back in fancy to our own Nor- 
thern Isles as they must have appeared 1300 years ago, when St Columba came 
over from Ireland to Scotland in his open canoe, covered with hides, to preach 
Christianity to the wild heathen tribes of Caledonia ; the '• painted men " (whether 
tattooed or merely dyed, matters little), whom he iound living in huts, probably 
more miserable than these, and clothed, not as here in paper-cloth, but in the skins 
of wolves and wild deer, and possibly wearing, as their most treasured ornament, 
a wild boar's tusk, much as these people do. We know that the celebrated monas- 
tery on lona was merely a collection of huts clustered round just such a humble 
wattled church as the one here described ; and having s-een these, I can readily ac- 
cept the tradition which ascribes to St Columba the foundation of three hundred 
churches, half in Scotland, and the rest in Ireland. For wherever he or his disciples 
travelled, they established new monasteries on the model of lona, and these in their 
turn sent forth teachers, who preached everywhere ; and each tribe or clan that ac- 
cepted the new faith, built for itself a church of wattle-work ; and the building was 
kept up. and the priest was supported by voluntary contributions of the clansmen, 
paid either in kind or in labour, just as the teachers of a Fijian village are paid to- 
day. And as in the olden days a very few advanced villages would make a mighty 
effort to build a stone church, such as the famous Candida Casa of St Ninian in 
Galloway, or the "White Kirk of Buchan," so here, with far less reason or comfort, 
a zealous tribe will (happily in but few instances) exert itself to the utmost to dis- 
tinguish itself by building a " White Church " of coral-lime— a landmark to be dis- 
cerned from afar. 



216 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

were right glad to return on board ship. How any human beings 
can deliberately build their villages in the?e mangrove -swamps 
passes my comprehension. It simply means living in the mud, 
with salt or brackish water on every side, and mosquitoes in 
myriads. 

Our quarters to-night seem strangely luxurious, and I must profit 
by them and sleep now, — -so good night. 

August 17. 

After all, I did not sleep long, for I woke to see such lovely 
moonlight that I crept out of my corner made of mats and my old 
green plaid, and went out to sit alone by the brink of the great 
waters, and watched the earliest lights before dawn. Now all are 
astir, and we are just starting. 

Captain Barrack's House, Savu Savtj, 
Vantja Levu, August 22, 1876. 

I have been here for some days greatly enjoying the blessings of 
the land, and this most lovely scenery. We left M Soni Soni at 
dawn on the 17th, purposing to make the isle of Taviuni, but finding 
the wind fair for Levuka, steered for that port. Another change of 
wind put a stop to that, and we could make but little way. After 
a weary day of beating, we succeeded in nearing the small unin- 
habited isle of Namena. Tempted by the lovely foliage which 
overhung the white sands and drooped right over the water, we 
landed in search of some shelter which might act as sleeping-quar- 
ters. After a long hunt, during which 1 cut my boots to pieces on 
the rocky coral shore, we found a slightly projecting rock — a poor 
shelter, but better than the hard deck. So we brought our mats 
and pillows ashore and made nests for ourselves by the light of the 
blazing fires at which the students did. their cooking. Of course 
they were as much delighted as ourselves to escape the night on 
board, and their presence lent human interest to the scene, as they 
gathered in picturesque groups round the fires, or knelt together in 
evening prayer. The night proved tolerably fine, only a few heavy 
showers, which shot off the rock just past our toes, so we were 
quite dry. And you know in these favoured isles we have no fear 
of snakes or other noxious creatures ; so we slept in peace, knowing 
that nothing more hurtful than a wandering crab could possibly 
assail us, and that he would run off in great fear the moment he 
discovered what strange beings had invaded his isle. 

Once more we embarked at dawn, and the wind blew us straight 



BOILING SPRINGS AT SAVU SAVU. 217 

to this port, which I exceedingly longed to see, but our destination 
was Taviuni ; so, much to my disgust, we tacked with the inten- 
tion of crossing thither. For several hours we battled with the 
breeze — weary hours of tossing and sickness. We lost our main- 
topmast ; and at last, finding that the wind had driven us back to 
this desired haven, it was resolved that the Langhams and myself 
should come ashore, and the vessel go on to Taviuni with such of 
the party as were thither bound, and return for us. So an hour 
later I found myself under this hospitable roof ; but the Langhams 
make it a rule always to live in native towns, in order to be 
amongst the people. How I do revel in a fresh clean room all to 
myself, and abundance of new milk and scones ! 

This place has a special interest on account of its boiling springs, 
— not that they are striking in themselves, but because there are so 
few places in the group where any trace of such phenomena is 
found. I have seen no other boiling springs except those at !S T gau, 
but I hear there are some at Loma Loma, and there is a hot stream 
in Yiti Levu called Wai Mbasanga. Here, too, occasional shocks 
of earthquake suggest that volcanic action is only dormant and 
may reawaken some day. The springs are quite boiling, but (as 
was the case of those we saw on the isle of i^gau) a stream of cold 
water flows close to them, and the people save themselves the trouble 
of getting firewood by boiling all their food in the springs. They 
take their crabs, bunches of bananas, yams or taro, wrap them up 
in banana-leaves and deposit them in the boiling spring ; then they 
go and bathe some way off where the hot and cold streams have 
mixed, and return to find their dinner ready cooked. The water 
tastes utterly disgusting and very salt, but the food boiled in it 
is excellent ; and the people who bathe here are free from many 
diseases. There are springs all along the shore for half a mile, 
just at high-water mark. The three principal ones bubble up in 
a circle like a small crater. They are intermittent, and the highest 
makes a fountain about two or three feet high. There used to be 
about fifteen springs in this circle, and the people came from far 
and near to cook their food, especially if they had any hodies to 
boil. But in 1863 Tui Wainoonoo, a neighbouring chief, came 
and besieged the large strongly fortified town of Eroi further up 
the lake. He could not take it, and raised the siege just when the 
defenders were reduced to starvation, having only a few lemons 
for food. He, however, captured sixteen men, and Eamasi-Alewa, 
the old lady to whom the springs belonged. She was past seventy, 
and must have been very tough and smoke-dried ; but as in her 



218 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

young days she had been a regular Joan of Arc, leading her tribe 
to battle, and herself fighting hand to hand with a hatchet, he 
determined to eat her. So he had her cooked with the sixteen 
men, and made a great feast ; and then, to spite the people, before 
leaving the district, he attempted to choke up all the springs — in 
which amiable effort he partially succeeded. 

These springs were also a favourite place for depositing all super- 
fluous babies, especially girls, who never got much of a welcome. 
They were popped in alive like so many lobsters, and treated with 
quite as little ceremony. I am told that there is an intermittent 
cold spring on a conical hill on the opposite side of the harbour. 
Some of the hot springs bubble up through the salt water below 
high-water mark. 1 

I think Savu Savu is about the prettiest place I have yet seen. 
The harbour is so entirely enclosed by great hills that it is simply 
a salt lake, dotted with many isles, all richly wooded — too richly, 
for they are in consequence haunted by a plague of mosquitoes. Dr 
Mayo, who, you will remember, was one of our party coming out, 
has such a conviction that the hot springs will become important 
in course of time, that he has bought one of these pretty islands 
and built himself a house on it. It is not yet finished, and he is 
obliged to live at Khandavu as quarantine medical officer, much to 
his disgust, as his object in coming to Fiji was the hope of gaining 
large experience of native races. He brought out as his assistant a 
college servant, who lives by himself on the island and takes great 
charge of everything. I have just been across to see the unfinished 
house and tastefully planned shrubberies of foreign plants ; but the 
island is infested by hordes of such vicious mosquitoes that I was 
fairly driven away. 

Of course we have made expeditions to all parts of the lovely lake, 

1 At the request of Professor Liversidge, of the Sydney University, I asked Dr 
Bromlow, of H.M.S. Sapphire, to take water from these springs for analysis. The 
following table gives the proportion of salts in a million parts of water, or mi'li- 
grammes per litre : — 

Silica, insoluble, 131.33 

,, soluble, 5.78 

Alumina and traces of iron, 74.92 

Chlorine, 4506.06 

Calcium, 1428.84 

Magnesium, 3.04 

Potassium, 72.03 

Sodium, 1298.28 

Sulphuric acid, 219.29 

Undetermined or loss, 73.34 

From the foregoing it will be seen that the greater part of the salts in solution con- 
sists of the chlorides of calcium and sodium. 



RETURN HOME. 21U 

beginning with the native town of Eroi, to see the fortified hill 
which was so bravely defended. It is surrounded by very deep 
ditches, and only accessible by a very narrow path overgrown with 
dense vines. The thatched roofs of the village are half hidden by 
tall bananas and scarlet hybiscus, orange and lemon trees : the latter 
are of the prickly sort, which was planted near many fortifications 
as a natural defence. Another day we sailed across the bay to visit 
friends who there own a large plantation. Here we saw something 
of sugar-growing, sugar-crushing, and rum-distilling; also fields of 
splendid pine-apples — by far the finest we have seen in the isles. 
Turtles and pine-apples in abundance sound well, do they not] 
But I fear they do not compensate for lack of beef and mutton, and 
many another ordinary comfort. 

I find that Captain Barrack is just sending a little schooner 
across to Levuka, so I shall despatch this long journal to catch the 
mail. I only wish it might give any of you a thousandth part of 
the amusement which I have derived from the actual trip, notwith- 
standing all the discomforts. — Your loving sister. 



CHAPTEE XX. 

NASOVA THE MOUNTAIN WAR A YEAR'S PROGRESS- 
FIJIAN HOMAGE. 

Nasova, August 24, 1876. 

Dearest Eisa, — Here I am once more "safely back from a long 
cruise in the wilds, of which I have sent a full account to Jean. 
Our last halt was at Savu Savu — a loyely bay, which I left with 
great regret, resisting several cordial invitations to visit kind neigh- 
bours there. We started yesterday morning at dawn, but found 
the sails needed some repairs; so we waited five hours at the mouth 
of the harbour, and whiled away the time by inspecting the old 
buildings and machinery of a deserted plantation — the heavy cocoa- 
nut crushers and other expensive plant, now standing idle and use- 
less — always a pitiful sight. 

We embarked in the afternoon and had a head-wind, which has 
been our evil fortune for every bit of open sea we have had on this 
cruise. Verily I am sick of sailing vessels ! We had a wretched 



220 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

night — tossing about and lying on the very hard deck not ventur- 
ing to unfasten pillows or plaids, from momentary expectation of 
shipping seas and downpours of rain. I confess it made me wish 
many times that I had stayed at the head of exquisite Savu Savu 
bay, which, they say, scarcely shows a ripple even when a hurricane 
sweeps the land. At daybreak this morning we were off the isle of 
Kovo. and arrived here about breakfast -time to find that Lady 
cordon and the children are at Suva, and that Arthur Gordon has 
returned from the mountain -war very seriously ill — from gastric, or 
maybe typhoid, fever. The war itself has just been brought to a 
very satisfactory conclusion, marking one bright point in Fijian 
history — -the first since annexation; and it has all been settled 
quietly, without any sort of fuss. 

The Governor, Captain Knollys, Mr Maudslay, and Baron von 
Hiigel, arrived last night. On their return from the mountains 
they had gone to Suva to see Lady Gordon, but were summoned 
here when Mr Gordon's illness was found to be so serious. Hap- 
pily, Mrs Abbey and her husband are both excellent nurses, and 
Abelak and the other Hindoo valet are most neat and patient 
attendants. Of course Dr Macgregor is here, and himself had the 
difficult task of conveying his patient all the way from the moun- 
tains, where the fever first developed itself, owing, we suppose, to 
exposure and want of proper food. 

Wednesday, Sept. 13. 

Everything continues much as when I last wrote to you. Lady 
Gordon and the children are still at Suva, staying with Mrs Joski. 
Of course they must not return here just yet, though Mr Gordon 
is decidedly on the mend, and to day was able to walk into the 
drawing-room with slight help from Abbey ; but he was very soon 
utterly tired out. Baron von Hiigel is busy making an illustrated 
catalogue of his huge collection of Fijian curios, and I have been 
helping him a little, and also working up the sketches I got on my 
last cruise while they are still fresh in my mind. Our time on 
land was so cruelly short in proportion to that which we spent in 
misery on the sea, that I generally had to content myself with 
making very elaborate pencil-drawings with notes of colour, and 
these I am now working out. 

A terribly sad thing has just happened here, ar.d cast quite a 
gloom over the town. Do you remember my telling you, just after 
our arrival here, of the marriage of a very popular girl to a young 
planter? A few days ago she became a happy mother, and all 



SKIN DISEASES. 221 

seemed well; but things went wrong, and she died yesterday. 
Her husband, supposing all danger to be over, had gone on busi- 
ness to another isle, and returned by the steamer this morning. 
All the flags in harbour and in the town were hung half mast 
during the funeral; and when the captain hailed the nearest 
vessel to ask who was dead, the poor fellow heard his wife's name 
shouted back in answer. 

I have just been to see Mrs Macgregor in her new house. She 
is the only one of all our sisterhood of last year still remaining in 
Fiji. Her new house is, unfortunately, a good deal further from 
Nasova than the one she has hitherto had; but it is convenient 
for the Doctor, being close to the pretty little hospital, which is 
generally very full. I am sure you will be amused to hear that 
the Doctor has enlisted my services in quite a new branch of art. 
He is busy studying some curious skin diseases peculiar to certain 
of the imported labour, which gives the patient the appearance of 
being clad in moire-antique, with a white watered pattern on a 
dark ground. Of these patterns he has made various rough draw- 
ings, which he has now set me to elaborate. 

SepteTnber 16. 

Colonel Pratt has just been here to call, looking very ill. He 
has had a long spell of work at Suva with his Engineers, getting 
the land surveyed and the new road begun, which involves being 
out a great deal in a blazing sun, and is exceedingly trying. 

Sir Arthur rejoined Lady Gordon at Suva in the beginning of 
the month, Captain Knollys escorting him. The latter returned 
here two days ago, in a deluge of rain, having been four days 
coming from Suva, beating against a head-wind. Of course his 
boat was only provisioned fully for one day , so he and his men 
had very short commons for the last three days. 
- Mr Gordon continues to improve very slowly, but we hope 
surely. The Doctor says that so soon as he can be moved, he 
must go to Kew Zealand for change of air. Our parson. Mr 
Floyd, is also going there next week. 

September 22. 

Last Monday Captain Knollys started for Suva, in the Governor's 
beautiful new barge, which is a very handsome yet simple sixteen - 
oar boat, built for him in Sydney. It was built on the principle 
of the landlord who charged one of the Georges a guinea for a fresh 
egg, — not because eggs were scarce, but because kings are so. In 



222 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

this instance Fijian governors are scarce ; and so, having ordered a 
boat worth about £300, Sir Arthur is justly indignant at receiving 
one charged £750, and apparently he can get no redress. Rather 
too hard, considering how scarce money is in this colony. 

The barge returned last night, bringing Sir Arthur and Lady 
Gordon and the children, who look all the better for their change 
of air. This house is really beginning to look quite cosy and home- 
like, and we all quite enjoy coming back to it from our various 
wanderings. Nevertheless I am already preparing for another start, 
as Captain Knollys offers me the loan of his nice new boat (his 
yacht, we call it) ; and it seems a good opportunity of paying my 
long-talked-of visit to Mrs Leefe at A T ananu. So, if all is well, my 
iiext letter will be from her house. 



War Letter. 

Nasova, September 12, 1870. 

Dear George, — You ask for some details of the war with the 
mountain tribes. I wish you were here to hear about it your- 
self from Captain Knollys and I)r Macgregor, who have been giving 
me most thrilling accounts of some of their adventures. 

Mr Gordon got through his work sooner than the others, and 
returned here on the 3d of July, apparently in perfect health, and 
in very high spirits. He then returned to the seat of war, and 
joined Captain Knollys in the mountains, where they had some 
very rough and exhausting work in routing the enemy out of caves 
where they had taken refuge. This was satisfactory done, and 
then, what with bad and insufficient food, and exposure, Mr Gor- 
don ^utterly broke down : he had to be carried all the way to the 
coast, — four days' very difficult march up and down steep moun- 
tain-paths, crossing and recrossing rivers and streams, and enduring 
great hardships. On the second day they were compelled to march 
thirty-six miles, and had to cross streams thirty-one times, &c, the 
Singatoko river eighteen times, and another stream thirteen times, — 
very exhausting and difficult work. At last a small steamer arrived 
to bring back the troops ; and so he was brought here, and has ever 
since been very dangerously ill with low typhoid fever. However, 
he is now beginning to mend, and we hope ere long to see him as 
well as ever. 

Well now, to tell you as far as I can in detail. You know that 
soon after annexation, when the mountain tribes were only half 



USEFUL FIREARMS. 223 

inclined to accept English rule, and still less friendly to the lofu 
(Christianity), the isles were swept by the terrible scourge of 
measles, which they assumed to be a judgment from their insulted 
gods. They therefore " threw off the cloth," which is a formula 
for expressing that, by returning to total nakedness, they utterly 
defy the matanitu or Government, and the lotu : they also allowed 
their hair to grow to the fullest-sized mop : and having thus re- 
sumed the part of heathen warriors or tevoro — i.e., devils — they 
proceeded, on April 12, 1876, to attack and burn The Christian 
villages of Nandi and Nandronga, and ate sundry women. They 
also attacked several Christian villages on the banks of the Singa- 
toko river ; but here the marauders were repulsed, and their own 
villages burned. They then attacked a village in the mountains, 
the people of which were Christians, and had supplied food to the 
Government forces. The villagers, old men, women, and children, 
took refuge in a cave, where the cannibals soon followed, guarding 
the entrances, and firing on them at intervals during the night. In 
the morning a party of friendly natives and police (or, as the people 
still call them, sotiers — i.e., soldiers) came to the rescue, and routed 
the tevoro. 

Sir Arthur was from the beginning anxious to avoid any thing- 
like a collision between white men and brown, and was therefore 
determined, if possible, to treat this disturbance as a police ques- 
tion, without requiring any aid from English troops. He Avas con- 
fident, moreover, that with the assistance of friendly chiefs, the 
matter could be satisfactorily settled, and that, too, at very small 
cost, before troops could even arrive from the colonies or elsewhere ; 
so he resolved to dispense with all red tape — an article which only 
appeared on the scene once, and that in a rarely useful capacity. 
when Mr Maudslay, sorely puzzled how the Governor's bodyguard 
could carry their ammunition, being clad in short kilts, with neither 
pockets nor belts, instructed them how to make belts with bits of 
canvas, sewed with red tape, which was happily found in the 
Governor's despatch-box. That was on a special occasion, when 
Sir Arthur (determined to see everything for himself) insisted 
on visiting the mountains in person, accompanied by Mr Maudslay. 
Before starting on a march of some danger, it occurred to Mr 
Maudslay to examine the arms of the guard. They consisted of 
most rotten old muskets. He says he carefully avoided firing one 
himself, but happily no accident occurred in testing them. 

It certainly is a marvel that no lives were lost from the use of 
such weapons— rusty old flint-lock or percussion-cap muskets, which 



224 AT HOME IN FIJL 

Lad been lying by in store for many years, all more or less decayed : 
and these were in the hands of men accustomed to wield only 
spears and clubs. I think Captain Knollys' force had only twenty. 
Snider rifles, and a scanty supply of ammunition for even these, 
which were the backbone of the force. As to the old Tower 
muskets, some even of those selected as being the best, proved 
useless on reaching fighting-ground. A considerable amount of 
firing was always necessary to clear the bush round any place where 
they encamped, to frighten lurking foes. 

When it was found that a collision with the Kai Tholos was 
inevitable, Sir Arthur sent to all the friendly chiefs to ask each for 
a small detachment of picked men. Double or treble the number 
asked for were sent, and a magnificent body of men was thus mus- 
tered, all eager for the fray. One body of 150 men from Bau 
came to JSasova to report themselves to the Governor before start- 
ing for the seat of war. All had their faces blackened to prevent 
the sun from blistering them — and savage indeed is the effect of 
this hideous cosmetic. They were almost all dressed alike in 
drapery of white tappa, and the liku (fringe kilt) of black glossy 
water-weed, like horse-hair : they had streamers of tappa floating 
from their arms and head. All were armed with old Tower mus- 
kets. They marched on to the vara — the green lawn before the 
house — and there performed the wildest devil melee, ending with 
unearthly yells. It was a very striking scene. Then they advanced, 
tAvo or three at a time, throwing themselves into wild attitudes, 
brandishing their weapons, which formerly would have been spears 
or clubs, and trying who coidd make the most valiant boast con- 
cerning his intended prowess. 1 One cried, " I go to the mountains ; 
my feet shall eat grass." This was to express his eager speed. 
Another : " I long to be gone ; I crave to meet the foe. You need 
not fear; here is your safeguard." "This is only a musket," cried 
another, flourishing his weapon; "but / carry it." Said the next : 
" We go to war, what hinders that we fill all the ovens ? " (I fear 
that man hankered after the flesh-pots of Fiji !) Another, holding 
up his musket, cried, " This is the bridge over which you English 
shall pass into the mountains." " Why do you white men cry 
out 1 We go to the mountains, and will bruise even the rocks." 
The second company came up stately, and only one acted spokes- 
man. "This is Bau, that is enough." Others gambolled about, 
extolling their (imaginary) club by name, as in olden days. When 
each had had his say, one advanced with a green twig, which he 
* This ceremony is called bole bole, meaning to challenge. 



MOUNTAIN WAR. 225 

laid at the feet of the Governor's native aide-de-camp. Then Mr 
Wilkinson made a little speech for the Governor, and a gift of 
symbolical whales' teeth, which the messenger received crouching, 
and carried them to the corps, who also crouched low to receive 
them. Two huge turtles and other good food were then given, 
that they might feast before re-embarking on the Government 
steamer which carried them to the seat of war. 

Nearly the whole force of native police had already been de- 
spatched to the mountains, where a permanent camp had for some 
time been established at Nasauthoko, on the Singatoko river, in 
the western half of Viti Levu. Mr Gordon did a sketch of this 
camp, showing two circular camps, each containing about a dozen 
native houses inside a fence of reeds on an earthen wall, then a 
ditch, and a second and third palisade. This stands on a small 
piece of level ground, about 2000 feet above the sea, and surrounded 
by hills of about 5000 feet. Eound this the police force had made 
large gardens, extending to the river, where they raise yam, taro, 
and bananas for food. * 

The Governor appointed Captain Knollys commander-in-chief of 
the police and all these irregular forces, with Mr Gordon and Mr 
Le Hunte as sub-generals. Messrs Carew, Wilkinson, and Heffer- 
man accompanied them as interpreters, being all men thoroughly 
acquainted with the chiefs and the people. Dr Macgregor was 
surgeon to the forces. The little army was divided into three 
bodies, whose common object was to prevent the enemy from 
reaching the great forests near the Singatoko, where they would 
have been very dangerous neighbours to the Christian tribes, and 
very difficult to dislodge. 

The contingent of which Mr Gordon had command, consisted of 
1200 undisciplined undrilled men of different tribes, each accus- 
tomed to render implicit obedience to their own chief only; and all 
those chiefs were jealous one of another, and always on the alert to 
scent out slights. Mr Gordon says his principal work consisted 
not so much in ordering details of fighting, as in taking a general 
direction, and preserving friendly relations between these chiefs, 
and smoothing their suspicions one of another. His task was 
rapidly and successfully accomplished. After sundry strongholds 
had been stormed and captured, several villages burned, and a con- 
siderable number of firearms seized, the cannibal tribes on the 
Singatoko surrendered, and 848 prisoners were taken. Of these, 
thirty-seven were known murderers, and were tried as such ; thirty 
five were found guilty, and of these, fourteen were summarily and 

p 



226 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

most deservedly executed — the Governor being present to sanction 
the proceedings, and confirm the sentences : nine were shot and 
five hung. Their mode of death was regulated by the degree of 
their ' guilt, the worst criminals being accounted those who were 
actually receiving pay from the English Government, at the same 
time as they were in league with the cannibals. The prisoners 
were all distributed among friendly villages, where for a while they 
will have to work as labourers, till it is judged safe to let them 
return to their own districts. Once they have yielded themselves 
prisoners, they never dream of escaping — that would be contrary 
to the Fijian code of honour ; so they merely require a nominal 
guard. This was in the latter part of June. 

Meanwhile Captain Knollys was greatly astonishing the foe in 
his district by sparing their growing crops, which was quite a new 
idea in Fijian warfare (where hitherto the first aim of an enemy 
had been to ravage the land, cut down the bread-fruit and banana 
trees, and burn the villages). He says the people at one place, 
Nambutautau, fortified their town by digging pit-falls in the long 
grass, and in these they placed sharp -pointed bamboos, ready to 
impale the unwary ! The mountain-towns are perched in all sorts 
of nooks, among great boulders of rock, or hidden in clumps of 
bushes, or in cliffs of the rock. It is a country fortified by nature, 
having precipitous crags honeycombed with caves, and clothed with 
dense forest. The natives throw up earth-works and bamboo fences 
further to strengthen the.ir intrenchments. Sundry of these rock- 
fortresses were places of very great strength, but were nevertheless 
surprised and captured. 

I think Mr Le Hunte was chiefly in charge of the camp at 2s a- 
sauthoko, which was a less exciting post, but one equally essential 
to the success of the whole. 

About July 10th, Captain Knollys learnt that a party of the 
cannibals had retreated to a certain valley. Dr Macgregor was 
with him, and they started in pursuit with about 200 men. They 
halted for supper, then waited till the moon rose — the men whiling 
away the time with quaint boasting, such as I have already de- 
scribed. Then came a difficult night-march through the forest, 
crossing streams and deep gorges. At daybreak they reached the 
Xaindua caves, where huge boulders of conglomerate rock have 
fallen in, so as effectually to conceal the entrance. The whole 
valley is a network of caves, with a river flowing at the bottom 
of the gorge. The tevoro (devils) were firing from many hidden 
crevices, their presence only betrayed by an occasional puff of smoke. 



A GOOD SHOT. 2 27 

They were, however, driven out, and ten men and sixty women and 
children captured. It was found that some of the worst men had 
only returned from Levuka a couple of weeks previously. They 
had been working for white men on a plantation in Taviuni, so 
that process does not appear to be necessarily an improving one. 

A nicely roasted human leg was lying on a mat, with cooked 
taro, neatly laid out for breakfast for the devil priest, or rather 
priest of the vatu kalou — i.e., war-god. This old bete — i.e., priest — 
was hideous to look upon, — a noted cannibal and excessive drinker 
of yangona, the result of which was that his skin was whitish, 
and he had become a sort of albino. Yery disgusting he was, and 
yet his devotion to his son, a sickly lad, was so pathetic, that his 
captors were really touched by it. He was taken in the act of 
escaping from his appetising breakfast, which he doubtless sorely 
regretted, and which received decent burial. 

In the promiscuous firing that followed, several wounded men 
fell over the cliffs into the river. As a party retreated, routed, 
one man, thinking himself beyond the reach of fire, could not 
resist a little bravado, and coming to a dead halt, he proceeded, 
with all the dandyism of a feast-day, to arrange the long folds of 
white tappa which floated in airy drapery, while he waved his 
great war -fan and challenged the foe, Vaka viti (Fiji fashion), to 
come and be eaten, and he would roast them all. Dr Macgregor 
took a deliberate aim with his Snider rifle at 600 yards, and, 
greatly to his own amazement, hit the astonished man, who fled 
wounded in the left arm. A week later he was captured, and 
became great friends with the Doctor, who naturally took especial 
interest in healing the wounds of his own production. 

The Doctor's work has greatly astonished the cannibals, who 
marvel to see a man tending and healing his foes. He has 
taught them a new name for his profession, declaring himself much 
aggrieved at being called " carpenter of death," when he is truly 
a " man of life ; " so the Fijian dictionary owes him a new word. 
He performed one very difficult operation quite alone, in presence 
of a wondering crowd. It was necessary to amputate the leg of 
one of the prisoners, so he made such preparations as were possible, 
and commenced operations, when, as he was in the act of adminis- 
tering chloroform {wax ni mothe, the water of sleep), he perceived 
that his assistant was quite drunk. It was necessary to have him 
at once forcibly removed, and the only other white man in the 
place was Mr Gordon, who was very ill with fever. So here he 
found himself alone with the patient under chloroform, surrounded 



228 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

"by a great circle of wild auxiliary tribes, all well accustomed to 
cut up human limbs for tbe larder, but wholly unable to under- 
stand the present proceeding. It was a difficult position. The 
operation must be performed, or certain death was inevitable ; so 
he proceeded with a most difficult task, which happily proved 
quite successful, and the amazement of the spectators knew no 
bounds. The grateful patient, on recovering, demanded that the 
Doctor, who had deprived him of a leg, should supply a new one, 
and insisted on his keeping him into the bargain ! 1 

One very sad incident in the cave-warfare was the death of a 
poor little girl aged seven, who was accidentally shot through the 
heart. 

The next places from which the foe had to be dislodged were 
the Naquaquatanibua caves, which are a nest of large caves round 
a deep hollow — naturally a very strong post, and further fortified 
by the inmates. The entrance to the principal cave is by a cleft 
in the rock, not more than six feet wide, though perhaps twenty 
in height, and well concealed by the network of roots of a great 
Mbaka (Fiji banyan), the interstices of the roots being filled up 
with rock-work, so as to form an outer wall, with loop-holes, 
through which to fire at assailants. Within is a large high cave 
in which were stored guns, ammunition, and provisions — yams, 
pigs, and yangona ; while in an inner cave, beside a stream, of 
water, were enormous stores of yams, whales' teeth, masi, abundant 
firewood, and all things needful to hold out for a long siege. 
From the principal cave low passages lead to other caves, and 
these again have outlets ; and all these were carefully concealed 
and well fortified : some could only be entered on hands and 
knees. 

Altogether the post Avas one which might have been held for 
ever, and when first the little Christian army was descried, on the 
hill facing them, the tevoro amused themselves by a little of the 
usual boasting ; but it seems their hearts failed them, for ere long 

1 This is by no means an exceptional instance. A favour conferred seems to be 
generally considered as giving a claim to further kindness. The experience of the 
missionaries has always been, that if their medical skill availed to restore the sick 
to health, their patients considered themselves entitled to receive food and rai- 
ment, and also to have a right to demand anything else they fancied. Mr Calvert 
quotes th-3 case of a native whose hand was shattered by the bursting of a musket. 
The captain of a small fishing vessel took pity on the sufferer, had his hand ampu- 
tated, and kept him on board for two months. At parting, tbe patient told tbe 
captain that he must give him a musket, in consideration of his having stayed on 
board so long ; and on this being refused, the man went ashore and proved his 
sense of obligation by burning the drying-houses in which his benefactor stored 
his fish. 



IN THE CAVES. 229 

a chief came out with a soro (i.e., an atonement offering). This 
was refused, so he returned to the cave, and presently reappeared 
at the head of twenty-four men, vowing that only the women and 
one old man remained within. However, there was reason to 
believe that there were many more, and Captain Knollys explored 
as far as he dared venture ; but as many of the caves could only 
be approached by crawling on hands and knees through low pas- 
sages, and as the enemy occasionally fired from hidden openings, 
it was necessary to wait in patience. At last one man, who said 
he was the chief of the caves, declared he would come out in the 
morning, but not till then. Captain Knollys told him he must 
not come out, whereupon, from sheer spirit of opposition, out he 
came ! 

A friendly chief, called Eovobokolo, was appointed to guard one 
cave full of people. He did so for two days and nights, but did 
not at all appreciate being fired at by unseen foes ; so by a happy 
inspiration he suddenly cried out to bid them escape for their lives, 
as the sotiers (soldiers) had effected an entrance, and were about to 
fire into them. This was a pure romance, but it had the desired 
effect of bringing the foe to light. Forthwith they rushed out, 
and were of course taken prisoners — in all sixty- one men, and a 
great many women and children. 

There still remained a third set of caves at Nunuwai. It was, I 
think, on the 23d of July that the besieging force reached them. 
They lie along the bed of a stream, in a deep gulch, heavily wooded, 
quite filled up by great boulders fallen from above, and forming 
caves, only to be reached by crawling through crevices. These are 
innumerable, each forming a loop-hole through which a hidden foe 
could safely fire out upon assailants ; consequently several of these 
were killed, only discovering their danger by a sudden flash from 
some hidden loop-hole. It was just as unpleasant a place to have 
| to storm as you can possibly imagine. 

Happily the tevoro appeared to be divided in their own minds, 
' and, after much parley, one party agreed to surrender, but wished 
to bring their women with them — and these were in an inner cave, 
| which could only be reached by diving through the water, under 
j a rock, but each time their heads rose from the water the non-sur- 
; render party received them with levelled guns. They then ex- 
j pressed their determination to die in the caves, but after two days 
| Captain Knollys hit on the odd expedient of enlisting some of the 
| prisoners already taken as his allies, by promising them easier terms 
; than they had any right to expect. So these entered the caves, 



230 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

and held long parley with the besieged, persuading about half dt 
them to surrender. As the remainder still held out, they took u 
their quarters in the cave for the night, and amused themselves by 
blowing a war-shell, which so affected the delicate nerves of the 
tevoro that they craved permission to come out — a permission which 
was withheld till morning, in order to enhance its value. Amongst 
other relics, Captain Knollys found the bones of one of bis scouts 
who had been killed some time previously : he had beeu cooked 
and his bones picked clean. About fifty men were here captured, 
and the most grievous criminals having been tried again in presence 
of the Governor, six were most deservedly executed, and the rest 
condemned to various terms of imprisonment or servitude in the 
villages of the allies, where they are sure of very kind treatment. 

Of course the judicial part of this business was the most trying 
to all concerned ; but for once, I believe that all parties here are of 
one mind in agreeing that the executions were positively necessary 
and a most wise measure. In every instance the man executed was 
either a notorious murderer of the worst type, or else a deserter 
from Government service, actually drawing Government pay. It 
is believed that this example once set will deter future malcontents 
from trying this little game again, and that much bloodshed will 
thus be averted, and a source of perpetual danger entirely extin- 
guished. On the other hand, the leniency shown to the mass of 
the prisoners, the care of the wounded by skilled hands, with all 
medical appliances, are a wholly new, and to them incomprehen- 
sible, phase of British warfare. 

Our people (the Christians) were wonderfully quick in practising 
the mercy commanded; and though they keep up the old wild 
dances and songs round the body of each fallen foe as they bring 
him in, there has been no tendency to make a bokolo of him, ex- 
cept in one instance, when one of the wildest of the friendly tribes 
(our allies) brought to Captain Knollys' camp the body of a hostile 
chief just slain, and after much palaver (being very hungry) craved 
permission to eat him. Of course this was peremptorily refused, 
and immediate burial ordered. But when Captain Knollys sent a 
company of his own men in the morning to see that it had be n 
done properly, they found the body barely a foot deep, which 
allowed room for just a suspicion that some hungry men were wait- 
ing for a convenient season to dig it up. Of course the foe had no 
scruples on the subject, and I fear they had several hearty meals at 
the expense of the assailants. 

It is fortunato. they did not find out how short of provisions the 



PICTURESQUE INCIDENTS. 231 

besiegers were, for at one time their commissariat was at such a low 
ebb that for two whole days they had nothing to eat but a few taro- 
tops which they had the good luck to find — taro-tops being some- 
thing like old turnip-tops and leaves. This, while the enemy had 
abundant stores of provisions ! It is wonderful too, that, intrenched 
as they were in a series of positions, each of which was practically- 
impregnable, they should have yielded so readily ; and marvellously 
fortunate, too, that so few of their stray shots should have done 
any damage. The only white man touched was Dr Macgregor, 
who received a slight wound near the corner of the eye, which 
happily was not serious. 

There have been many most picturesque incidents in this little 
war. To begin with, there is the way in which the warriors 
march to battle, as if going to a dance, with scouts running on 
ahead of them fluttering large grass or palm-leaf fans, adorned with 
long streamers or ribbons like a Highlander's bagpipes, only made 
of native cloth. With these they pretend to sweep away any 
hidden foes who may be lying in ambush. 

Then, too, is it not wonderful to think of what a war in this 
country has hitherto meant, and the appalling horrors involved? 
And how to think that, among all these so-called savage warriors, 
none should have in any way brought discredit on their character 
of chivalrous Christian soldiers. On the contrary, each body of 
men brought its own chaplain; and in all the excitement of a 
struggle with hereditary foes, which but a few years ago would 
have been a scene of horror and revolting bloodshed and crime, the 
camps were kept free from taint. 

It savours rather of an army of Puritans to know that every 
morning, at the very first streak of dawn, each separate tribe com- 
posing that little army mustered in array to join the teacher in 
saying the Lord's Prayer, and a short prayer suited to the require- 
ments of the day. And every evening, after the excitement of the 
day was over, each house separately had reading of the Scriptures, 
singing, and prayer ; and every man in the force knelt as rever- 
ently as he would have done at family worship in his peaceful 
village home. I wonder of how many so-called civilised armies 
all this could be said? 

But to return to the caves. The last had scarcely been cap- 
tured when Mr Gordon became utterly prostrate from what has 
proved to be a very serious attack of low typhoid fever. I told 
you he had been here for a few days after finishing work in his 
own district, and before proceeding to join Captain Knollys ; and we 



232 AT HOME m FIJI. 

tliink he must have contracted it here, as there have been several 
bad cases of the same type, and at least two men have died of it, 
including the builder of this house. The caves were right in the 
interior of Yiti Levu; and as I mentioned to you, the return 
march was fearfully trying, both for a sick man and those in 
charge of him — Fijian mountain paths being pretty severe work 
for the strongest man. Happily Dr Macgregor was able to be in 
close attendance. 

To make matters worse, they had literally nothing that he 
could eat. The Doctor thought he had secured a prize in an old 
hen belonging to a teacher, but the owner begged she might be 
spared, as she was " giving milk " — a striking discovery in ornith- 
ology ! But it seems this is the Fijian equivalent for laying. I 
suppose that as cows and hens are both imported animals, it was 
assumed that the same term would be equally expressive. But 
the teacher promised to bring some excellent eggs to make flip, 
and soon returned with a dozen. On the first being cracked a 
fine chicken appeared, — so tJmt was not of much use ! At last 
they reached the coast, where a hospitable planter took care of the 
patient till a steamer, specially chartered for the occasion, arrived 
to take away most of the troops and about a hundred of the worst 
prisoners, who are to have a turn of hard work for their country's 
good. 

The said steamer is one hired temporarily from New Zealand; 
but the luckless Government steamer Fitzroy, which was bought for 
£7000 when we came here, ran on to a coral-reef last month, and 
is a total wreck, — another bit of ill-luck for this poverty-stricken 
land. Her captain was the steadiest and most experienced man 
in the group, so it is a good proof of what dangerous navigation 
this is. 

Here Mr Gordon found an empty house, save for the presence 
of Mr and Mrs Abbey, the excellent major-domo and his admir- 
able wife, who have nursed him with tenderest devotion, and are 
now rewarded by seeing him steadily amending. But for some 
days he was so very ill that an express was sent to Suva, in Viti 
Levu, to summon the Governor, who, with Captain Knollys and 
Baron von Hugel, had gone there, on their way back, to see Lady 
Gordon and her children, who are staying there for change of air. 

Just at this moment, I, knowing nothing of all this, returned 
unexpectedly from a three weeks' cruise round Yanua Levu with 
my friends the Langhams, with whom I have now travelled for 
thirteen weeks in districts which otherwise would have been to 



A YEARS PROGRESS. 233 

me wholly inaccessible. But I have not time now to tell you any- 
thing about our cruise, so you must be content with this letter for 
the present. I forgot to tell you that we have a new inmate in 
the house — a remarkably nice young cannibal. His father is one 
of the worst cannibal chiefs captured by Captain Knollys, to 
whom both father and son have quite a romantic attachment ! 

Note. — On the 28th October 1876 the Governor issued a pro- 
clamation of free pardon to all the mountain-tribes who had fought 
against Government, granting free permission to all who had been 
carried as prisoners to other districts, and to those who might still 
be concealed in the bush or in caves, to return to their own dis- 
tricts, and rebuild their towns and cultivate their lands, only 
stipulating that the fortified places must not be reoccupied, but 
that sites should be selected more suitable to the peaceful inhabi- 
tants of a quiet land. Even at the date of this proclamation, he 
found that the disturbed districts were assuming an aspect of 
security and civilisation hitherto undreamt of. New towns were 
rapidly springing up by the rivers and in the plains, and cultivation 
was carried on in perfect security, in places which hitherto could 
not be worked at all, or only by armed men. Formerly constant 
distrust reigned between the different tribes- — especially between 
the Christians and heathens ; and not without good cause, as four 
hundred inhabitants of one Christian town had been treacherously 
clubbed by their heathen neighbours, having been induced by false 
pretences to leave their town. Now the wild tribes had all adopted 
the kilt of native cloth, and cut their hair to a reasonable length — 
sure proofs of general respectability. They had also welcomed the 
native Christian teachers, who had come to live in almost every village. 

A year later — October 1877 — Sir Arthur Gordon revisited these 
districts. He found satisfactory progress everywhere — the people 
devoting their energies to agriculture instead of war — all, nominally 
at least, Christians; good new villages; good riding -paths (one 
forty miles in length from the coast to the permanent headquarters 
of native police at Fort Carnarvon) ; and these, though of purely 
native construction, were led by easy gradients along the hillsides, 
instead of following the steepest ridges, according to Fijian custom. 
Everywhere peace, oruer, and plenty prevailed. He was especially 
pleased to find one of the tevoro chiefs, whom he had pardoned 
when under sentence of death (causing him to place his hands in 
his and swear fealty), now a useful and zealous officer of the Gov- 
ernment. At Fort Carnarvon, about a thousand representatives of 
the Avild tribes assembled to meet him and hear his words ; and 



234 AT HOME US" FIJI. 

several hundred school- children, from the neighbouring villages, 
gathered together for one of their picturesque school-examinations. 
A large proportion of the children could read and write well — a 
most satisfactory result of one year's tuition. According to inva- 
riable custom, the school-examination was enlivened by many of the 
wild, but often graceful and poetic, mekes — i.e., descriptive songs 
and dances. After several spear-dances, and one descriptive of a 
cow protecting her calf, and another of a hawk fluttering, came one 
which Sir Arthur thus describes in his private journal : — 

"Nasaucoko fan meke. ]Nai kalukalu, the Stars. This was a 
very curious meke. Two circular enclosures of bamboo, about five 
feet high, were erected, within which two parties of dancers began 
to whirl round, waving white masi fans over their heads. Grad- 
ually, one by one, they came out of the door of their enclosure 
opposite each other. This was the rising of the stars. They met, 
danced the usual sort of dance, and, at one part of it, threw away 
their fans. This was to represent the shooting- stars." 

On the following day he writes — 

" Thursday. — To-day Buli Nadrau and all his people came to do 
their homage. Yery pretty they looked, coming over the hill in an 
interminable line. The old gentleman was tremendously weighted 
in his state-robes, which were only put on him by his attendants a 
few yards before he reached me, and were, after he had passed me, 
at once taken off again, and presented. Six hundred feet and more 
of black (or rather grey) masi were heaped on him, and that not in 
the shape of an enormous train, like Tui Cakau's, but all draped 
and festooned over his person and head. 

" Friday, — Walked over to Korolevu, where I was received in 
a fashion which I have never seen elsewhere. The people were 
arranged in rows on each side of the rara. As I came into it, all 
the folks inclined their heads to the left shoulder, and, as I passed 
them, sank down into a slanting position to the left, like a row of 
nine-pins. . . . Most picturesque was the offering to me of 
the magiti (feast), by moonlight, as I sat on the marble steps of 
the old lure (devil temple), destroyed long ago. Most striking too 
was the scene in the village afterwards, — each household grouped 
in front of its own door, and later the sound of prayers from the 
various houses. Every one of the people here was, last year, a 
prisoner. Later I strolled up and down by myself alone, but in 
perfect security. . . . From one house I heard the voices of a 
number of women repeating the Lord's Prayer. What a change 
from last year, wh^n there was nothing here but heaps of ashes ! n 






planter's home. 235 



CHAPTER XXL 

A PLANTER'S HOUSE ANGORA GOATS A LOVELY SHORE SERICUL- 
TURE THE MOSQUITO PLAGUE. 

NANA1TU, A SMALL ISLE OFF VlTI LeVTJ, 

Sept. 30, 1S76. 

Dear Nell, — At last I have reached the Eobinson Crusoe home, 
about which we used to conjure up such visions of romance, when- 
ever a letter from the far-away Fiji Isles reached the old vicarage 
in Northumberland. I came here last Tuesday with Baron von 
Hugel. Captain Knollys lent us his beautiful boat and a crew of 
native police : we had the great luck of a fair wind, and made the 
run in eight hours — wliich is exceptionally good time. You who 
have never been much in the way of travelling in small ships and 
boats can scarcely realise how tantalising are the constant delays 
to which we are liable from wind and weather. 

You would think that a home within eight hours' run of the 
capital cannot be very isolated. Yet such are the difficulties of 
getting about and of leaving home, that since the day — now ten 
years ago — when Mr Leefe brought his bride here — a bright pretty 
girl of eighteen, with a tiny baby daughter — her sole expeditions 
have been one three months' trip to Australia, when she was very 
ill, and one visit of six weeks to Levuka to stay with a friend, 
whose two children died while she was there, — so that was not a 
cheerful visit. And though a boat occasionally touches here, no 
ladies have ever done so except once, when Mrs Havelock called 
ior three hours ; and once also, some years ago, when a brother- 
planter fled here with his wife and family for refuge from the can- 
nibals, and then the two families had to stow themselves as best 
they could in the one house of two rooms. 

Happily, there is now an extra house, or rather quite a group of 
half-a-dozen small semi-Fijian houses, which severally act as feed- 
ing-room, sitting-room, sleeping-rooms, kitchen, store-room, and silk- 
worm house. These are all clustered beneath the cool shadow of a 
couple orf old trees, one of which spreads its great boughs towards 
the kitchen, and acts as larder, — for from these branches hang such 
pieces of kid or goat's flesh as may be in stock. Here are the 
rough-and-ready essentials of an open-air carpenter's shop ; and 
beneath a central tree a small matted enclosure acts as the family 



236 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

bath-room, to which the labour-boys bring buckets of iresh water to 
fill a great wooden tub. But infinitely more pleasant is the deli- 
cious sea-bathing, in which we can here indulge most freely, with- 
out any dread of sharks. Imagine the charm of walking straight 
out of your bedroom on to the purest white sand, and plunging 
just as deep as you please in the very clearest water, warm enough 
to make it delightful to lie and bask there at early morning and at 
sunset ! Sometimes two brown maidens come to disport themselves 
with us in the water, and they and Ethel swim and dive like fishes 
— swimming long distances under the water, and coming up, when 
least expected, to seize me, in hopes of startling me with an impres- 
sion of sharks. 

Ethel, the tiny baby of ten years ago, is now a picturesque tall 
girl of eleven, a winsome wide-awake child, and a real little lady, 
but a thorough bushwoman, versed in all arts of foraging and bush- 
cooking, and her mother's helper in many a care. 

My arrival here was a funny example of how we do things in 
Eiji. My visit has been under discussion for a whole year; and 
once, owing to miscarriage of letters, Mr Leefe even came to Levuka 
to fetch me when I had gone up the Rewa ! This time I had 
written about a week before starting, to announce my coming. 
That letter has only just arrived a week after me. So of course I 
was not expected; and further, both Mrs Leefe and Ethel were 
suffering from severe cold and headache. However. I was most 
cordially welcomed, and shown the various objects of interest, but 
saw no symptom of any special quarters being awarded to me. At 
bed-time I was hospitably invited to share a bed with my hostess 
and her daughter — Mr L. and the Baron occupying a tiny house 
outside. I preferred a shake-down in the drawing-room, and at 
early dawn awoke in time to accompany Mrs Leefe and Ethel to 
milk the goats — which on paper sounds very pretty, and which in 
fine weather is really so. But when you come to the reality of hav- 
ing to start at 5 a.m. every morning of your life — fine weather or 
foul, in sickness or in health — and walk a mile and a half up and 
down very steep slippery hill-paths, which in wet weather are mere 
slides of red mud, — and, when the milking is done, return by the 
same path, making a walk of three miles before the day's work has 
actually begun, you can imagine that this pretty pastoral scene bo 
conies a tolerably fatiguing item in daily life. 

Of course to me there was the great charm of novelty — an early 
morning in lovely sunlight, blue sea and cocoa-palms on every side, 
and the. very picturesque flock of goats. One of Mr Leefe's most 



ANGORA GOATS. 237 

anxious experiments has been the introduction of Angora goats, — 
lovely white creatures, with long silky fleece. At great expense he 
procured two pair, and having killed off all the wild he-goats on 
the island, these beautiful strangers were established as monarchs 
of the isle. So the flock is now exceedingly pretty. There are 
230 mothers, of all varieties of colour, and each has either one or 
two pure white kids, all, without exception, taking after their father. 
Alas ! many of them are already orphans, one of these splendid 
fallows having met with a most untimely end. Its long fleece got 
entangled in a thorny lemon-bush, which held it prisoner, and it 
was not found till it was dead. The second narrowly escaped the 
same fate. It got astray, and was caught in a thicket by its horns, 
and was not discovered till the following day. It was, however, 
reported missing at night, and all hands turned out to seek for the 
lost father of the flock. Torches were lighted, and the search con- 
tinued for some hours ; at last it was given up as being vain, and 
all returned to sleep, when suddenly an alarm of fire was given, 
and the whole hill was seen to be in a blaze : a torch, carelessly 
dropped in the dry grass, had started a fire which spread rapidly, 
destroying a multitude of promising young palm-trees recently 
planted. Such are the risks of plantation life. 

The fine silky hair is not the sole advantage of introducing the 
Angora goat. Its flesh is said to be more tender than mutton, 
with a slight flavour of venison ; and, moreover, such a flock will 
thrive where sheep could not find a living. 1 

It was nearly eight o'clock before we got back from the milking, 
and from feeding the poultry and the pigs, and you may believe 
we did enjoy our good hot tea. But Mrs Leefe was so ill that she 
had to go to bed again. Generally she is very strong, and thinks 
nothing of walking ten or twelve miles. 

I thought it was now time to establish my regular sleeping- 
quarters. My host most generously offered to give up his own 
little grass hut for me ; but on looking round, I discovered a tiny 
lumber-room partitioned off the dining-room, which is a house apart, 
and so close to the sea that I could almost step from the window 
into the water. I petitioned for the use of this small room, and 
with much help from Ethel and an acute Solomon Island girl, I 
cleared out many sacks of cuttle-fish bones, maize, and " produce " 

l Last year this flock Lad increased to about two thousand five hundred head ; 
and so excellent is the quality of fine long silky hair yielded, that at the great 
International Exhibition, held at Sydney in 1880, the second award for Angora 
hair was made to R. B. Leefe of Kananu. ■ 



238 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

of all sorts, swept it out, laid down mats, fixed up a tiny bedstead, 
drove in nails on which to hang up clothes, and hung one of my 
waterproof sheets as a door, and so made quite a cosy wee den, in 
which I am now comfortably established. A " bedstead " would 
be quite an unnecessary adjunct in a Fijian house, with its flooring 
of soft grass and many mats ; but here we have a wooden floor 
which would be too hard for comfort : besides, where maize has 
been stored, rats are wont to congregate. My little room has only 
one drawback, namely, that just at the window there remains one im- 
movable trace of its former use — that is, the corn grinder, in which 
the men's daily rations are ground, with such intolerable noise as 
invariably to drive me up the hill to escape from it. What must it 
be for the wretched native who has to do it, all the time receiving 
general abuse for the hideous row which he cannot avoid making ! 
I think the plantation hands here are exclusively foreign labour, 
all the Fijians having been turned off when Mr Leefe purchased the 
whole island. He also has property on the mainland of Yiti Levu, 
where his nephew Harry lives as superintendent, and keeps a store 
for the supply of cloth, lamps, sardines, tools, and other necessaries 
of life — a great convenience in this remote place. Most of his 
customers are natives. 

On our way here from Ovalau, we sailed close along the north- 
east coast of Viti Levu, which is most picturesque, — a fine rugged 
land, with narrow valleys hemmed in by great cliffs, and running 
down to the shore, where little villages nestle beneath great trees, 
from which hang the fishers' nets. I thought several points ex- 
ceedingly beautiful, and hope to retrace the ground more leisurely 
and secure some good sketches. As we came nearer here, the scene 
became bleaker and less attractive. Still the general effect of the 
coast, as seen from this house, is like some of the better parts of 
Koss-shiro; and the narrow strait which separates this isle from 
the mainland, is like a fine Highland loch. 

Nananu itself is rather a low flat island, in shape something like 
a star-fish, whence you perceive that you cannot walk far in any 
direction without looking down on the sea — the bluest sea, with 
lines and patches of vividly emerald green, marking where the 
coral-reef rises almost to the surface. All the centre of the star- 
fish is a great grassy hill, but each of its many arms is edged with 
a belt of magnificent old trees, which overshadow the whitest of 
coral-sand, and in some places quite overhang the water. You are 
tempted to bathe at every turn. One bay in particular is quite 
lovely. I have never seen another quite so fascinating in any 



HARDSHIPS. 239 

country. It is an immense horse-shoe of the purest white sand, 
where for a mile and a half you can walk along the water's edge, 
shaded by noble old mdelo, mbaka, tavola, and eevie treas, making 
a belt of dense cool verdure. 

In every available corner of the land Mr Leefe is planting thou- 
sands of young cocoa-nut trees, which are expected to yield a good 
return some six years hence, provided no hurricane sweeps the 
isles. Many planters are now trusting chiefly to their nuts since 
cotton has so utterly failed. It is sad in so many places to see 
great tracts of forsaken cotton-fields, 1 with their pods of white soft 
fluff, which it no longer pays to collect. 

The cotton-bush bears a lovely pale-yellow flower with a deep 
claret-coloured centre, precisely similar to that of the vau, the 
common hybiscus, which forms the scrub of the isles, and yields 
the fibre so largely used by the natives. Curiously enough, an 
almost identical blossom is borne by a troublesome but beautiful 
weed which grows profusely in the deserted cotton-fields. A 
peculiar kind of brilliant beetle swarms in the cotton. 

The neglected fields are sadly suggestive of the fortunes of their 
owners. For the invariable history of almost every planter is a 
tale of trouble and loss, — of large sums of money sunk, and now 
yielding no return whatever. The varieties in the story are gener- 
ally whether the crops have been destroyed by hurricanes, or the 
house and all that it contained was burnt to the ground, — often both 
in succession. 2 

I constantly hear lamentable stories of the hardships which some 
of these gentlemen are, even now, enduring. I hear of some, per- 
sonally known to my hosts, who for months together have tasted 
nothing but sweet- potatoes and yams, with water for their only 
drink : occasionally they struggle to rear a few fowls, not for home 
use, but to be exchanged for the luxuries of tea and sugar — and 
even these fowls generally come to grief. Of course goats can only 
be kept by the privileged few who possess a whole island. On the 

1 By recent accounts, I hear that much of this cotton has again been taken into 
cultivation, and that large areas of the flat land near the Raki Raki river have now 

I been ploughed and turned into a sugar plantation. 

2 Since the above was written, the home at Nananu has shared in this too common 
j fate. A few months later, the family were awakened by sudden cry of Are, and, as 
I usual with houses of such combustible material, a few moments sufficed to reduce 
■ the pleasant Robinson Crusoe home to ashes. The long-treasured piano, books, 
| knick-knacks, all irreplaceable treasures, were gone, and the family left with only 
; the night-dresses in which they stood. Of course it does not take long to rebuild a 
! house in the Fijian style, and perhaps the new house is better than the ramshackle 
! old place ; but in so remote a home, new ornaments and books and keepsakes ac- 

j cumulate slowly ; " and we cannot buy with gold the old associations." 



240 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

mainland they would make havoc in the gardens of the natives, 
and however carefully tended, would give rise to many difficulties. 
Even a cow is not kept without much trouble on the score of tres- 
pass, and involves a lad to look after her ; and I am told that there 
are families now living on Taviuni too poor to pay even one labour- 
boy to help on the plantation ; indeed I heard of one case in which 
the father was too weak to work, and all the family were living on 
wild roots, dug up by the children ! 

My host, being a man of unbounded energy, blessed with a wife 
of the like temperament, has managed, by a hard struggle, to keep 
his head above water, and now ranks as an exceptionally well-to-do 
planter. Having his own "home farm," he is able occasionally to 
kill some sort of animal, and its flesh, fresh or salt, generally 
furnishes the table with meat ; but if press of work prevents his 
having time to slay and prepare any beast, a large papaw tart, with 
a dish of yams and a pot of tea, suffices for palates not vitiated by 
over-much luxury. At present there is a sense of abundance in 
the house, for Mr Leefe has himself killfd, skinned, and cut up a 
goat, the various portions of which now adorn the beautiful old 
tree larder; moreover, a small vessel has called here and left a 
barrel of flour, of which Mrs Leefe herself has made excellent 
scones. We are indebted to her skill for almost all our meals, her 
only assistant in the kitchen being a good-natured laughing boy 
from the Tokalau Isles, whose talents are as yet undeveloped. He 
manages to do the coarser laundry- work, with the help of a very 
wide-awake girl from the Solomon Isles (avIio, by the way, talks 
the prettiest English). But here, also, anything needing care or 
refinement falls to the mistress, who also has to attend to the 
family wardrobe ; and hardest of all, to both mother and daughter, 
she has sole charge of Ethel's lessons, especially that most grievous 
task, her music lesson. For she has managed to retain one pleasant 
reminder of the old life in a most musical home, in her treasured 
piano, the solace of many an evening when the toil of day is over. 
I will not say that it is strictly in tune. No piano can be kept in 
order in this land of mildew and damp. 

So Ethel is well on in music, but infinitely prefers out-of-doors 
occupations, and the companionship of all the living creatures, each 
of whom is a personal acquaintance — the poultry, the goats, the 
very pigs, whose name is legion. They live in a large pen by 
themselves near the sea, but are allowed to roam at large through 
the bush. At a given hour their supply of cocoa-nuts is carried to 
their pen, and a wooden lali (drum) is struck to summon them, 






SERICULTURE. 241 

when they assemble with a rush. They are hideously tame, and 
come running up to meet any members of the family who may pass 
in that direction, and gambol cheerfully round them. 

But one of the principal daily cares is that of attending to a 
great army of silk-worms, which have to be fed six times a-day : 
that means going out six times to gather fresh mulberry-leaves, each 
of which must be carefully dried. Then the trays have to be cleaned, 
the eggs examined, the newly-hatched worms carefully separated 
and placed on leaves to begin their new life. The cocoons have to 
be attended to, and guarded from the attacks of insects ; in short, 
rearing silk-worms on this scale is a task requiring as much care 
and patience as any human nursery. This industry is an altogether 
new experiment in Fiji, where it might no doubt succeed, but for 
what will, I fear, prove an insuperable obstacle — namely, the price 
of labour here, as compared with that in the silk-growing districts 
of China. Here the whole work is at present done by Mrs Leefe 
and Ethel, as none of their people are sufficiently trustworthy to be 
trained as assistants. So you see the life of a planter's wife leaves 
small time for idle day-dreams or novel-reading ! It needs a brave 
heart, and abundant courage and perseverance, to say nothing of 
physical strength, to fulfil such daily tasks. 

To me, who have only to enjoy myself, there is an unspeakable 
charm in the easy-going open-air life here ; and the air is wonder- 
fully keen and bracing as compared with the climate of Levuka. 
We have had the thermometer at 74°, and have felt almost too 
cold. So all day long I wander about the isle, passing from one 
white sand bay to another, and keeping in the shelter of those 
great overhanging trees, whose dark foliage forms so perfect a screen 
from the ever-shining sun. The raised centre of the isle is, as I 
have told you, generally grassy ; and here I sit morning and even- 
ing, overlooking the sea in every direction, and watching for the 
rare appearing of a sail. The only shade* there, however, is that of 
the screw-pine, which grows abundantly, and makes an odd sketch- 
able bit of foreground, with its long prickly leaves set screw-wise, 
and its roots like a cluster of white pillars, making the tree look 
as if it were walking on stilts. It bears a large scarlet or orange 
fruit, something like a pine-apple in appearance, but with so little 
on its woody sections to tempt the palate, that none save goat-herds, 
on whom the long day hangs heavy, care to gnaw them. True 
pine-apples have been planted in abundance, as also orange, lemon, 
and bread-fruit trees; so have the delicious native keveeka, which 
bears a fruit resembling a large transparent pink pear and answer 

Q 



242 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

the purpose of a cooling drink Mpreover, as I told you, Mr Leefe 
is planting thousands of young palms in every available crevice, on 
Sir Walter Scott's principle of " Aye he stickin' in a tree ; it will 
he growing while ye are sleeping." Close round the house there 
is a small kitchen-garden in which grow tiny tomatoes and the 
tree-pea — a shrub which bears pods very like those of our common 
green pea. 

Whenever Ethel can be spared from her home-duties she comes 
with me on my exploring expeditions, and sometimes carries a 
kettle, a small bottle of milk, and a little packet of tea and sugar ; 
then, while I am sketching, she lights a fire and ministers to my 
comfort. The only drawback to the delightful shady nooks, which 
we prefer, is the multitude of mosquitoes which infest them. I am 
sure they scent out a fresh prey in me. Never shall I forget my 
first day here, when I settled down to make a careful study of a 
magnificent old banyan (identical, I think, with the Ficus religiosa 
of India). The mosquitoes assembled in myriads. Vainly did 
Ethel and a wild-looking brown goat-herd sit, one on each side of 
me, holding branches, with which to beat them off; and vainly did 
I slay six or eight at a time, so often as I could pause to slap one 
hand on the other. Thicker and thicker they swarmed (for there 
was not a breath of air stirring in the thicket where we sat) ; so at 
last we had to give it up and fly to cool our fevered hands and 
faces in the sea; then we lay under the orange-trees in the old 
garden, and ate ripe golden fruit to our hearts' content. Next time 
I go to sketch in any such sheltered spot, I shall hang up my mos- 
quito-net to a tree, so as to lessen this maddening distraction — 
though, of course, it will be rather dazzling to draw looking through 
a fine white net. 

How funny some of our incidents of common life would seem to 
you ! Last night I was awakened by the grunting of pigs all round 
my window, and guessed that they had broken through their fence 
and got into the garden. So I jumped up and gave them chase 
wildly, and succeeded in driving them all out. 

Mr Leefe owns a second small island, separated from this by a 
narrow channel ; there he keeps another flock of goats, and yester- 
day went over to count them. He took us with him, much to 
Ethel's delight, as the Fijian shepherd has a pretty baby, which is 
her namesake and great pet. We saw a curious natural rock-bridge 
on the coast, concerning which, tradition says, a shark jumped 
through a cave and left this rock standing. 

Baron von Hiigel returned from the mainland this morning just 



VITI LEVU. 243 

as we came back from the goat-milking. He has collected some 
new curiosities, and gave me a funny old cannibal fork. He re- 
turns to Nasova to-day, and takes this letter to the mail. He is 
full of the loveliness of various place.? he has seen, and says I must 
manage to go and do some sketching. But how? That is the 
difficulty. Mrs Leefe, who has never yet seen anything, even 
within a few miles of this place, says she would delight in going 
if only it could be managed, but she does not see how she can be 
spared from her many home-cares ; and it is equally difficult for 
either Mr Leefe or Harry to get away. And you know I never 
dream of going anywhere alone; besides, Mr Leefe has sold his 
good boat, and now has only a very small one. So really I do not 
see how it can be managed, though it is most tantalising. How- 
ever, something may develop. 



CHAPTEE XXII. 

THE POTTERY DISTRICTS OF VITI LEVU A CANNIBAL'S REGISTER 

A NIGHT IN A CORN-SHED FUNERAL OF RATU TAIVITA. 

Ratu Philimone's House, Na Vatu (The Rock), 
Raki Raki, October 10. 

The difficulties have been overcome, and here I am on the main- 
land of beautiful Viti Levu. This is a delightful place to which 
Mr Leefe brought me about a week ago. Mrs Leefe provided 
us with a large basketful of provisions — newly-baked bread, and 
other good things ; and on arriving here, we were most hospitably 
welcomed by the kindly native minister, Eatu Philimone, and his 
handsome pleasant wife Henrietta. The title Eatu marks the man 
who bears it as being of good birth; and this couple and their 
pretty children are of a very superior sort. Their house has quite 
a nice inner room, which they insisted on giving up to me, so I 
am really most comfortable here. 

Mr Leefe was only able to stay one whole day, long enough to 
take me over a good deal of the neighbourhood. Then as its rare 
beauty proved more and more fascinating on further acquaintance, 
he left me here in the hospitable care of Eatu Philimone, not, how- 
ever, till he had also placed me in the charge of the police ! in the 



244 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

person of Mr Jones, the officer of tliis district, who is most kind, 
and does his utmost to further all my wishes. So also does his 
friend and neighbour Mr Shinnock, who sends me a bottle of milk 
every morning, and one day a little pig's leg : and now I hear 
that he has killed a kid for my especial benefit. He has also lent 
me his horse S^eep. a steady old fellow, and able to canter, though 
not much used to carrying a lady. I find I have left the girths of 
my side-saddle at JSasova, but Mr Jones most kindly lends me his, 
which are of leather, and he himself now uses a rope. He has a 
wooden saddle with goat-skin cover. Truly did Captain Martin, 
our worthy skipper, remark that this is the country for makeshifts ! 

This place is well described by its name. It is really K"a Vatu 
(The Rock), being a huge rock- mass, quite detached from the great 
Kauvandra range of mountains, and standing alone on a level 
shore. The village in which I am living is on the sea-level, but 
a steep path up the beautiful crag leads to a lovely village, called 
Nai Songoliko, which consists of a number of small houses perched 
wherever they can find room all over the cliff, almost hidden by 
bread-fruit and other bowering trees, which cling to the rock as if 
by magic. From this point a narrow spur runs inland, and the 
view from there is quite beautiful — the bluest sea, dotted with 
isles and tinted by patches of coral-reef, lying outspread to right 
and left of the cliff. Each of these villages has a tidy well-built 
church. I think I have explored every corner of the great rock, 
and many of the tiny homes which lie so quaintly niched among 
the rocky boulders. Some of the people produced hidden treasures, 
which they offered me for sale ; and I have bought several good 
things, including some stone axes. I think I must have mentioned 
to you that these are only just now passing out of common use 
here : they are brought to us tied with native string to a piece of 
wood shaped like a bent knee. Sometimes I see instances of the 
actual transition from the stone to the iron age, when some lucky 
man, having got a Birmingham adze, rejects his old stone celt and. 
ties his new acquisition on to the same wooden handle. 

In one house I found a pretty young woman with a baby a fort 
night old. Both were covered from head to foot with turmeric, 
with which their clothes were also smeared. I believe this is a 
precaution against the devices of certain evil spirits, of whom many 
of the people still stand in as great awe as many a devout old 
Highlander does of the bogies and warlocks of our own mountains. 
Those dark ranges of the Kauvandra are the especial haunts of 
various fairies and brownies, and we have heard legends enough to 



FIJIAN" POTTERY. 245 

make us wish that some competent person would set about collect- 
ing them ere the old lore dies away. 

All over this crag and the neighbourhood there are luxuriant 
masses of the intensely blue clitoria, as also of a bean which is 
good for food, and bears white blossoms. The effect of the white 
and blue is so charming that I have proclaimed a general offer of 
fish-hooks, needles, and thread to all children who will collect seeds 
for me. So every evening a little troop of traders await my return ; 
and I have now amassed a quantity of seed, which I intend to sow 
broadcast all over the hill behind Nasova. 

One of the chief places of interest in this neighbourhood is the 
town of Na Sava, which is peopled by the former inhabitants of 
the isle of Malaki, from which they were driven out by the whites 
as an act of vengeance for the murder of a white man whose boat 
touched on their inhospitable shore. That, at least, is one version 
of the story. Malaki lies just off this coast, and Mr Leefe took me 
to see it. It is a pleasant spot, grassy and wooded, but now left 
desolate. To its people is attributed the honour of having been 
the first in these isles to invent pottery, an art which is here carried 
to a perfection far surpassing anything found in other groups of 
the Pacific. I believe that pottery of some sort is found in all 
parts of Melanesia — the best specimens having been brought from 
New Guinea, and some also from the_ Admiralty Isles, New Britain, 
New Ireland, the Solomon Isles, New Hebrides, and New Cale- 
donia. But these are all exceedingly coarse, and devoid of all 
artistic pretension. In Polynesia, on the other hand, the manu- 
facture of pottery is apparently totally unknown. 

The Fijians are, as you know, a mixed race — partly Polynesian, 
partly Melanesian. Whether they derived their first idea of pottery 
from their Melanesian ancestors, and then greatly improved upon 
it ; or whether, as they themselves say, their master in the art was 
the mason-bee, it is impossible to determine. Certain it is that the 
form of the cooking and water vessels in use in every Fijian home 
greatly resembles that of the little clay nests which this busy 
creature builds in every convenient corner. On our glass windows, 
in the doorways, or under the eaves where the swallows of our own 
land are wont to place theirs, Ave find these little earthen homes, 
globular or oblong, with an opening at one side, terminating in a 
narrow neck or passage with turned-back lip. 

I have often succeeded in detaching these unbroken, and they 
are perfect miniatures of the ordinary Fijian pots. They are made 
of the same blue clay, which the potter has learned to mix with 



246 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

sand. Once the idea was started, other objects in nature soon 
suggested variety of form, such as the shell of the turtle and the 
form of various fruits. Considering the coarseness of the clay used, 
and the rude manner in which the pots are fashioned, wholly by 
hand and by rule of thumb, and considering, also, that the manufac- 
turers are people whom the civilised world are wont to regard as 
utter savages, I think that when you see my collection you will be 
greatly impressed by the artistic beauty and immense variety of 
form thus produced. Naturally what are made for ordinary domes- 
tic purposes — i.e., cooking and water pots — adhere pretty much to 
one type ; but in the patterns with which these are decorated, and 
the manufacture of what we may call fancy articles, every potter 
follows her own taste, and the same exact form is very rarely 
reproduced. We have occasionally tried to get duplicates made 
to order, but the result has almost invariably been most unsatis- 
factory; and in no case will the potters of one district attempt 
to copy a piece which has been brought from some other island or 
district. 

It is for this reason that I have, as I mentioned to you, taken so 
much trouble to paint careful studies of many of the principal pieces 
which have passed through our hands, to whichever collectors they 
have belonged. I suppose I have fully sixty such studies, several 
of which include two or three pieces. The objects vary in size, 
from small bowls or water-jars, six or eight inches in height, to 
great cooking-pots, three feet deep; and the colours range from 
richest golden to a deep red, running into green, the colour being 
chiefly due to the glaze. That which is commonly used is the 
heated resin of the ndakua pine, almost identical with the Jcaurie 
pine of New Zealand, which yields the beautiful amber-like gum. 

There are certain forms which find general favour, and are very 
commonly made. Such are, clusters of four or six globes, the size 
of an orange, all connected one with another, and each having a 
hollow tube leading from one aperture at the top, by which all the 
globes are filled. On the same principle are rude imitations of 
canoes, joined together by one handle ; also turtles, single or in 
pairs. These are of a very conventional type. 

When I was staying at Bau (which, tiny as it is, is divided into 
six towns), I was greatly interested in watching the potters of So 
So at work. So So is the fisher town, and the potters are generally 
wives of the fishermen. There I spent some hours in the pictur- 
esque hut of an old crone, trying to persuade her to model her 
turtles from a living one which was walking about on the mats ; 



A VISIT TO THE POTTERIES. 247 

but she preferred her own monstrous ideal, and chuckled with de- 
light every time the fins and feet of mine fell off. 

There, and I think also at Rewa, the women just beat out a flat 
piece of clay on their hand, and then gradually mould it into a 
cup-like form, with the help of a smooth stone held inside, and a 
wooden spatula with which to beat the outer surface. When their 
modelling is finished, the pieces are left to dry in a house for six or 
eight days, and are then taken to a quiet sheltered nook betwixt 
the sea and a great rock. Here a pile of light wood and small 
sticks is built, and on this the pots are laid. Dry grass is lightly 
piled over them, and small twigs over all. This pile is set on fire, 
and kept burning for about half an hour. Then, while still hot, 
the cooking-pots are well rubbed with an infusion of tin — i.e., man- 
grove-bark — which is a dark-red dye, and gives the pots both colour 
and a slight glaze. Ornamental pots, and those for water, are kept 
in the house from four to eight days. They are first baked with a 
light grass-fire, afterwards with wood, and while still hot are glazed 
with the ndakua resin I mentioned previously. 

There are slight variations in the process in different parts of the 
group, as on the north of Yanua Levu, where all the pottery we 
procured was unglazed. Several of the finest pieces I have seen 
were said to come from Na Sava, which is only a few miles from 
here; and I was the more anxious to see these people at work 
because of the tradition that their ancestresses first discovered the 
art. So Mr Jones sent word to the village chief that we proposed 
visiting his town in the afternoon. We walked up to Mr Shin- 
nock's house; and he welcomed us to a real planter's bungalow, 
and gave us kid, taro, and tea, which we consumed in presence of 
a large circle of Fijian girls, who had assembled from other moun- 
tain-towns to see the pale-faced woman. Na Maramma mbalavu — 
the long lady — was the title by which I was invariably described. 

The horses having, after much trouble, been caught and saddled, 
we rode round the back of the rock till we came to Na Sava, which 
is quite a large village. Here the chief called upon the potters to 
assemble on the village-green and exhibit their skill. Of course 
this was taking them rather at a disadvantage, but it enabled us to 
see a good deal in a short time. 

The pottery is made entirely by hand — nothing of the nature of 
a wheel being known. The clay, having been mixed with fine sand, 
is rolled into long sausages, and these are coiled, one above the 
other, in a hollow circle, this forming -the base of a round pot. 
Having partly moulded this into shape, the potter takes a smooth 



248 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

round stone in her left hand, and holds it inside the clay, whila 
with the other hand she beats the exterior with a flat piece of wood 
like a spoon, and constantly moistens the clay. Fresh sausages are 
then built up round the top, and gradually narrowed till there only 
remains room to insert one finger (if for a water-pot), or the food 
(if for a cooking-pot) ; and these are, in like manner, beaten to a 
smooth surface, both inside and out. The rim of the vessel must 
now be fashioned, and then comes a final wetting and smoothing 
of the whole, and probably a very elaborate geometrical pattern is, 
last of all, marked with a small sharp stick. Sometimes a pattern 
is laid on in raised work, almost like clusters of grapes. The work 
must be done ere the day wanes, as towards sunset the clay falls, 
and will not mould obediently to the potter's hand. 

We stayed a couple of hours watching different women at work, 
and tried hard ourselves to model a peculiar vase with three cups 
on one stand, of which I had secured one unique specimen, without 
being able to ascertain where it was made. I am very anxious to 
procure others of the same pattern, which is singularly graceful ; so 
the women are to try and make several for me. * 

When the waning sun warned the potters to desist from working 
(and we found that the* clay really did fall as fast as we attempted 
to model anything), we adjourned to the house of the village teacher 
to see his wife painting a very large and most beautiful piece of 
tappa. It was a heavy curtain, to which she was just putting the 
finishing touches. It was most artistic, and I coveted it exceed- 
ingly, and tried hard to bribe her to sell it to me. I have no 
doubt she coveted my dollars as much as I did her handiwork ; 
but she dared not sell it, as it had already been annexed by the 
omnivorous Tui Mbua : so I had to content myself with watching 
her at work. She had designed an admirable and most intricate 
pattern, which she cut out on a heated banana-leaf, laid this on the 
cloth, and rubbed it over with a scrap of mad, dipped either in 
vegetable charcoal and water, or in red earth, liquefied with the sap 
of the candle-nut tree — i.e., the silvery-leaved croton. 

It is simply a form of stencilling, and only requires taste in 
arranging the patterns and colours, and a neat hand in executing 
them. But the result is handsome and artistic. And a great 
curtain of tappa hung across a native house is such a striking and 

1 We flattered ourselves that our description and illustration were fully under- 
stood ; but evidently the design had originated in some other district ; for when, a 
few weeks later, the specimens I had ordered were sent to Nasova, I received a 
dozen hideous articles of ponderous weight, utterly worthless. These people can 
only carry out their own ideas. 



FIJIAN HAIR-DRESSING IN THE PAST. 249 

uncommon -looking kind of drapery, that it is certainly a matter of 
regret to know how surely this art is fated to die out before the 
influx of common English or American goods. In New Zealand, 
for instance, where it used to be made, it is now as wholly a thing 
of the past as the woad of our own ancestors. In Tonga, too, its 
use is greatly discouraged ; and it is to be feared that future gen- 
erations who visit Fiji may look for it as vainly as we now do for 
the wonderful hair-dressing which so amazed travellers in the last 
generation, but which was so intimately associated with ideas of 
war and cannibalism, that the Christians as a matter of course 
desisted from it. 

Yet it was really carried to such perfection as to rank as a high 
art. Each great chief had his own hair-dresser, who sometimes 
devoted several hours a-day to his master's adornment, and displayed 
quite as much ingenuity in his designs as the potters or cloth- 
painters do in their work. The general aim was to produce a 
spherical mass about three feet in circumference ; but a very suc- 
cessful hair-dresser has been known to bring this up to five feet ! 
This mass was composed of twists or curls or tufts — oftenest of 
thousands of spiral curls, seven or eight inches long, shaped like 
a cone, with the base turned to the outside, and each individual 
hair turned inward. Others encouraged a tuft to grow so stiffly as 
to resemble a plume of feathers. Many had a bunch of " love- 
locks," small long curls hanging on one side; others a few long 
very fine plaits hanging from behind the ear, or from one temple ; 
or half the head was curled and half frizzled : it was also dyed 
according to taste. And some dandies liked to have their heads 
party-coloured, black, sienna, and red ; in short, there was no limit 
to the strange varieties thus produced — far more diverse than the 
most fanciful devices of any fashionable lady in Europe. 

Now all this is a forgotten art, and though the gentlemen of our 
party who have returned from the war, saw a certain number of 
" big-heads," as the tevoro — i.e., " devils," or rather devil-worshippers 
— are called, I have seen no trace of it except in a few monstrous 
wigs, which still occasionally appear in the dances. One of Lady 
Gordon's attendants, whose golden-brown hair is as soft and glossy 
as silk, retains one long tuft, which occasionally floats at liberty, at 
other times is plaited in a multitude of the finest braids, woven 
by the deft fingers of his love. 

We rode back from Na Sava along the shore, and had to cross 8 
muddy flat part of a mangrove-swamp, on which the horse of our 
friend slipped and rolled over ; but no serious damage was doDe, 



250 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

and we reached Philimone's house in safety ere darkness closed in. 
The great cliff, shrouded in gloom, stood out dark against the golden 
sky, and cast long reflections on the glassy sea, which at high tide 
is so lovely, but at the ebb leaves a wide expanse of mud, not alto- 
gether unpicturesque, but very aggravating when one has to cross 
about a quarter of a mile of it to reach one's boat. We had to do 
this both going and coming to Malaki, the potter's old home, and 
the wretched boatmen had full benefit both of my weight and my 
companion's 

Bali Bali Police Station, 
October 12. 

You see I really am in charge of the police ! 

After a very early breakfast this morning, I bade an affectionate 
farewell to Eatu Philimone and his kind wife Henrietta, and all 
their nice little brown children — such a pretty, well-behaved family 
group. Mr Jones brought the horses and saddled them, and then 
we rode over here, halting on the way to inspect a row of smallish 
stones, extending about two hundred yards. These were to repre- 
sent the number of bokola {i.e., human bodies) actually eaten by 
two chiefs, Wanga Levu and Undri Undri — one stone for each body ! 

Some one once suggested, as the very ideal of a hideous night- 
mare, that we should find ourselves face to face with a resurrection 
army, composed of every animal of whose flesh we have ever par- 
taken — from the chicken-broth of our infancy, to the present day 
— sheep and oxen, calves and kids, red-deer and fallow-deer, rabbits 
and hares, geese, ducks, fowls, pheasants and partridges, grouse and 
woodcock, salmon and cod, herrings and trout, crabs and lobsters, 
and so on ad infinitum, — some men's nightmare including elephants 
and giraffes, whales and hippopotami, and other zoological curiosities, 
each rigidly demanding his pound of flesh. But what would such 
a dream as this be compared with the horror of a similar vision in 
which the plaintiffs were mighty men of valour, showing the broken 
skull on which a treacherous club alighted, and claiming, not a 
pound of flesh only, but their whole bodies ! 

For there were some of the more inveterate cannibals who allowed 
no man to share with them, and gloried in the multitude of men 
whom they had eaten, actually keeping a record of their number 
by erecting such lines of stones as those we saw here, which even 
now number 872, though at least 30 have been removed. Another 
member of the same family had registered 48, when his becoming 
a Christian compelled him to be satisfied with inferior meat ! 






a sailmakeb/s needles. 251 

These men were such noted cannibals that all boTcola reserved 
for their special use were called by a Fijian word describing cap- 
tured turtle, about to be deposited in the circular enclosures where 
they are kept till required — meaning that this capacious monster had 
room for all that came to him. His cannibal fork had also a dis- 
tinctive name, descriptive of the enormous work done by so small 
a thing. In this country, where the precious imported whale's tooth 
is the only ivory known, and where formerly there existed no animal 
to yield bone, human shin-bones were greatly prized to make sail- 
needles ; so this man's tribe must have been well provided ! I do 
not think I have told you that at every cannibal feast there was 
served a certain vegetable, 1 which was considered as essential an 
i adjunct to bokola as mint-sauce is to lamb, or sage to goose. Its 
! use, however, was prudential, as human flesh was found to be highly 
\ indigestible, and this herb acted as a corrective. It was therefore 
i commonly grown in every village, to be ready when required. 

It is a pretty ride all the way from Na Vatu to Bali Bali, and 
we arrived here in time thoroughly to enjoy a second breakfast. 
! The view from this point is a very unusual one, overlooking the 
salt-pans, which are artificially constructed shallow pools, in the 
midst of a wide stretch of dark mangrove-swamp. These are flooded 
at certain tides, and the evaporation yields a fair supply of salt. 
Half hidden in the mangrove is Na Vua Vua, the chief town of 
this district of Raki Raki, and in tho distance lie the isles of 
Malaki and Nananu. 

After a short rest we rode up a very beautiful valley to see a 
hill crowned with a grand mass of rocks — Vatu Damu — which, as 
we approached, resembled Cyclopean fortifications. We climbed 
the hill and found a pretty village nestled at the base of the great 
rocks, and shaddock-trees loaded with blossom, which perfumed 
the air. Then we rode to another grand rock, Kasia Lili. I made 
a sketch of each, and then returned here. My host has most 
kindly given up his house to me, and has found quarters for him- 
self with his " ofnsas," as the people call the police. 

October 13 

Another day filled with impressions of beauty. Few bits of 
Scotland can compare with the mountain scenery of these isles. I 
only wish it were possible to make expeditions inland, and explore 
the dark ravines and corries which seam the great mountain-range 

1 Solatium anthropophagorum. It was also commonly used by the cannibal Maoris 
of New Zealand. 



252 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

of the Kauvandra, along the base of which we have been riding 
all day. 

I was ont before daybreak, and went down the hill to have a 
near look at a true Kai Tholo house, which I had detected yester- 
day. The Kai Tholo, i.e., mountain people, build totally different 
houses from those on the coast : they are like beehives, with a roof 
so high pitched as to suggest a tiny hive on the top of the first. 

After breakfast we rode to the base of anothei grand rock-mass 
— Yatu Mami — where a little colony of planters received us most 
cordially, and welcomed us to a real planter's dinner, served in 
rough-and-ready style, but none the less acceptable, especially the 
invariable hot tea. Then we rode homeward, skirting the dark 
Kauvandra hills, and passing several villages more or less interest- 
ing from their situation. It was quite dark for the last hour, and 
we had several difficult creeks and gullies to cross, with banks 
rather like the side of a house ; but the horses are so steady, and 
so perfectly used to this sort of ground, that they scrambled up 
and down like cats, and I had only to sit still and wonder what 
was going to happen next. 

Finally, we got home all safe, and found that Harry Leefe had 
arrived to take me back to Nananu. He was feasting on roast 
goat — one which our friend Mr Shinnock had most kindly brought 
over and killed during our absence. So we had a capital supper, 
with true hunger sauce. 

And now I may as well say good-night, as we start for ls r ananu 
at daybreak. 

Nanant;, October 21. 

Dear Nell, — You see I am still here, very much at home, and 
quite happy. I find one becomes greatly enamoured of this sort 
of life. The weather is perfect, and there is a wonderful charm 
in the little isles, where the sea meets one at every turn, and from 
which we see such lovely morning and evening lights. The main- 
land is just far enough to be glorified; and I delight in the wide 
horizon which encompasses us. Last Tuesday we were on the 
highest ground, overlooking isles and coral-reefs, which intersect 
the blue deep water with lines and patches of vivid green, marking 
the shallows as clearly as if they were drawn on a map. We 
made a fire and cooked our tea in a " billy." 1 Just as we had 
finished, H.M.S. Beagle hove in sight flying the Governor's flag; 
so we hurried back, and arrived in time to welcome him and Cap- 

1 Tin can. 



A TRUE PICNIC. 253 

tain Knollys. They were on their way to the camp at Xasau- 
thoko, where Mr Le Hunte is now stationed ; and they sailed the 
following morning. 

I am delighted to tell yon that Mr Leefe is planning another 
expedition for me to the main isle. It certainly is most kind of 
him to take so much trouble, for every arrangement here involves 
many difficulties ; and leaving home, even for a day, is very incon- 
venient. Still I do long to see something of the beautiful coast of 
which we had such tantalising glimpses on our way here. 

The first plan was, that we should go up by a small trading 
schooner which touched here yesterday, collecting produce ; but at 
the last moment one of the precious Angora nannie-goats was found 
to be very ill, so Mr Leefe could not leave her. I regret to say 
she died this morning — a loss of £25, to say nothing of the value 
of her expected kid They are such pretty refined creatures, and 
so tame, that we are all quite sad about this. 



Nvunindawa on Viti Levtj, October 25 

"Well, we have started on our trip. Mr Eastgate kindly lent us 
his large police-boat, manned by a sergeant and four constables. 
It arrived on Monday morning ; but the wind was so very stormy 
that we delayed our start till Tuesday, when, taking advantage of 
the high tide to clear the reefs, we came to this village, to meet a 
friend, who arrived so late that we could proceed no further. We 
found the chief, Katu Ezikeli, and his wife, Andi Thithilia, in 
possession of the house of Caleb the teacher, while their own was 
being rethatched ; but they most courteously insisted on giving it 
up to us. 

When we unpacked the box of provisions so kindly prepared by 
Mrs Leefe, we found she had forgotten the non-essentials, — not 
one cup or plate, knife, fork, or spoon, was there All we could 
muster between us was my pocket-knife and Mr Leefe's small dirk. 
We sent a message to the chief to ask if he could lend us any 
cups. He sent us back the only article of foreign manufacture 
he possessed — which w T as the cover of a vegetable-dish ! Mr Leefe 
adopted this as a drinking-vessel ; I, being content w T ith a smaller 
allowance, was provided ivith a cocoa-nut shell Some pieces of 
bamboo supplied spoons and egg-cups ; and with ample store of 
fresh banana-leaves to act as plates, we fared exceedingly well. 

Heavy rain came on at night, and our slumbers were much dis- 
turbed by the restlessness of the boatmen, who were, bv wav of 



254 AT HOME IN FIJI, 

sleeping, in the house (which is of the usual pattern, only one 
room); but Fijians, as a rule, are. notoriously restless, and these 
men have been going in and out all night. Now they are making 
up for it by a long sleep, which is to us an unattainable boon. 
The rain is pouring steadily, and I fear we have lost all the fine ; , 
weather. 



IN THE C-iUBCH at Na Sau in Viti Levu, 
October 26. 

After all, the rain stopped quite suddenly, and we had a most 
lovely day of bright sunshine and beautiful colouring — every dis- 
tant isle wonderfully distinct ; in short, just that " clear shining 
after rain " which the old Hebrew poets so fully appreciated. 

We sailed at once, and reached Va Via about noon. This is 
one of the places I most wished to see. It is a lovely village close 
to the sea, built on white sand, and overshadowed by great ndelo 
trees, with tufts of rosy tassels constantly dripping showers of 
pink stamens on all around. High dark cliffs enclose this little 
bay, casting a cool deep shadow during the morning and evening 
hours. To appreciate the delight of this, you must realise the heat 
of a tropical sun. One family there live in a cave with only a 
front fence of wattle and leaves. We found the house of Phineas, 
the village teacher, open, though the family was absent; so we j ( 
ventured to borrow his kettle and were enjoying our tea under 
the dark trees, when his young wife returned and welcomed us 
gracefully. Leaving Mr Leefe to do the civilities, I walked up to 
the ridge which separates beautiful Va Via from this village. 
From this point the coast-view, looking either way, is simply 
exquisite — especially as seen in the radiant evening light. I 
secured one sketch last night, and another this morning; and 
when you see them, I know you will want to come to these lovely 
isles. 

When Mr Leefe rejoined me, we walked down to this village 
— the boat having already gone round to announce our approach. 
We were at once taken to the house of a most horrid-looking old 
chief. It was so stuffy, and so full of people, that we voted it 
quite unendurable, and adjourned to the church, too thankful to 
know that in so doing we shocked no prejudice of the people. It 
was cool and pleasant, and near the sea; and in its stillness we 
slept as only the weary can, making up for the previous night's 
unrest. 

At sunrise I returned to the ridge and worked steadily till 



I 



A PICTURESQUE MOUNTAIN TORRENT. 255 

2 p.m. — breakfast being brought to me. When I came down I 
found Ratu Ezikeli 1 and Mr Jones, who had arrived by canoe. 
The latter accompanied us on a scramble up the bed of a very 
rocky stream, which was unusually picturesque, from the fact of 
a very remarkable series of waterfalls issuing from under huge 
boulders : it was suggestive of weird German fairy-tales and bot- 
tomless caverns. At last we reached a table-land of taro fields 
on a very high level ; there I found a woman bathing in a most 
delicious pool, so I halted and joined her — the gentlemen finding 
an equally fascinating bath further on. It was vinaka sara — that 
is to say : "very good," as you may well understand. 

Refreshed and invigorated, we continued our wanderings till we 
came to a small village perched on the very face of a cliff — a dizzy 
site. A woman who had carried a heavy burden from the shore 
up to this point, now turned along the path that led round the 
cliff to her house, — a track so precipitous, that albeit not troubled 
with nerves, I did not care to face it. We sat awhile at the 
village overlooking a sea-view of exceeding beauty. While we 
lingered there, a native climbed up in hot haste to tell Mr Jones 
that the large canoe on which he had shipped all his household 
goods to transfer them to his new quarters, had been swamped on 
a reef, — a pleasant piece of news, which we thought might safely 
have been delayed till our descent. 

Returning to the village, where the rocky stream widens as it 
enters the sea, we crossed it in a minute cockle-shell, the smallest 
boat I ever saw in use. It had recently been washed ashore, and 
a tiny brown urchin was in possession of it, and ferried us across, 
one by one. The last thing washed up by the sea was a good 
waterproof cloak, blown off some vessel. 

One of the constables made a stew of salt goat and taro for our 
supper, to which the gentlemen added very good scones of flour 
and sweet-potato. So we fared sumptuously ; and now I am 
going to creep into my tent, which is in a corner of the church, so 
I hope for a peaceful, undisturbed night. 



Koro Tiko, in Viti Levu Bay, 
October 27. 

This time we really are gipsy ing. I must just write a few lines 
by combined lantern and moonlight. 

1 This fine chief died suddenly during the great meeting of chiefs at Baa in 
January ] 880. 



256 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

We left the quiet church of Na Sau very early this morning. A 
three hours' sail of dreamlike loveliness brought us to Yiti Levu 
Bay, which is a blue sea lake, embosomed in great hills ; its shores 
are richly wooded in parts, but there is some flat ground where good 
crops of maize are raised, and here and there, are strangely conical 
hills and broken crags, on which villages nestle in most inaccessible 
places. 

First I climbed one hill, and secured a careful sketch of the bay 
and the principal crag, while Mr Leefe went to call on a neighbour- 
ing planter, an Ayrshire man, who made some money at the dig- 
gings, and then settled here. Afterwards he took me there, and we 
were cordially welcomed and urged to stay ; but I need hardly tell 
you that in fine weather I prefer any sort of camping out to a semi- 
European house of this description, surrounded by swarms of foreign 
labour. So I contented myself with admiring the wealth of golden 
maize laid out to dry in the open courtyard before the house ; and 
then, having obtained leave to camp in a corn-shed beside the bay, 
where we had left our boat, we returned here. 

I greatly fear that our landlord is rather hurt at my preferring 
the corn-store beside the sea to his rough bachelor quarters inland, 
but I must hope he will forgive me. The building in question is 
the only one in this part of the bay, and is just a rough wooden 
shed, in which our friend stores his corn ready for shipping. The 
boatmen soon heaped up these sacks so as to leave us each a clear 
corner, and one for themselves. In one of these I hung up my tent 
as usual — i.e., my mosquito-net, with a curtain of black waterproof 
for a door. It is just like the little tents we used to make when 
we were children, and played at being gipsies. 

Having thus prepared our night quarters, we rowed across the 
bay to Koro Yiti Levu (koro means town), and here we found three 
tiny villages of small nouses, quaintly perched in every available 
crevice of the rock, and on the summit of a great crag. There are 
always either a few plants of large-leaved banana, tobacco, or sugar- 
cane — or maybe a flowering shaddock, lemon, or hybiscus, with 
tufts of scarlet or yellow blossom to lend grace to these rock-nests, 
to say nothing of the interest of their brown inhabitants, who peep 
curiously at us as we approach. 

I stopped to sketch at the mouth of the Eoko Roko river, then 
we walked to the summit of the crag, and across the promontory 
till we came to a cave where we found about a dozen very slightly 
clad women making great cooking-pots, more than two feet deep 
(some nearer three feet deep), and from twenty to thirty inches in 



A NIGHT IN A CORN-SHED. 257 

diameter. It was a very striking scene, as we passed from the glare 
of the sunlight and of the glittering blue sea below us, anrl turned 
into this dark workshop. We remained for some time watching 
the women at work, while they chattered to the boatmen (the con- 
stables), doubtless glad of our visit to break the monotony ©f the 
day. It was wonderful to see with what skill they modelled such 
very large pots, simply by eye — attaining perfect symmetry, without 
a wheel or any other mechanical aid. 

In the cool of the evening Ave rowed back here, and the men pre- 
pared our supper, at which the grand centre dish was part of the 
leg of a young pig, which we found had been sent on board yester- 
day by a considerate young planter. While they were so occupied, 
I went along the shore till I found a good bathing-spot, where the 
roots of a great mbaka tree had fashioned themselves into a screen, 
making an admirable dressing-room — so I had a delightful bathe 
by moonlight. 

Now the mosquitoes are becoming so troublesome that I shall be 
happier under my net in the corn-shed, though I quite grudge 
wasting this soft lovely moonlight. How the boatmen, who of 
course have no nets, can endure the mosquitoes, is to me a mystery. 



Nananu, Sunday 29. 

We are back once more, you see, and enjoying the peace of a 
calm, quiet day. The stillness here is wonderful and pleasant. 
How I do hate all noise ! 

We found that many fellow-creatures had also arranged to spend 
the night in the corn-shed. A multitude of rats had been attracted 
by the maize, and held high revel. Happily, however, they only 
disported themselves under the raised wattlo-noor on which we and 
the corn-sacks rested ; and for my own pa^t, I know I was too 
weary to mind them, and soon slept in peace. 

At sunrise we climbed to the summit of the great crag beneath 
whose shadow we lay. It was a steep ascent, but a succession of 
beauties of vegetation and scenery helped us up. Near the top 
we found two villages, one of which was well fortified, in addition 
to holding a natural position of great strength. Only three years 
ago there was severe fighting here between two tribes, which re- 
sulted in a massacre of about 450 people, most of whom were 
eaten ! Now the last possibility of disturbance is over, we believe, 
for ever ; and a lady may wander over these hills alone, in perfect 
security. 

R 



258 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

At the tiny rock village on the upper crag, the people pointed 
out a huge grave into which, they said, that last year, in the great 
sickness (meaning the measles), they began by throwing in their 
dead uncounted. After a while they did begin to keep count, and 
from that time till the plague subsided, seventy bodies were laid 
in that one pit. 

We descended the hill by another path, very pretty but over- 
grown; and we had to force our way through tall reeds, ginger, 
and turmeric plants, which was hot and exhausting. 

In the afternoon we started on our return cruise, and four hours 
of alternate stiff rowing and sailing brought us back here last 
night 

November 1, Sunrise. 

Yesterday evening Sir Arthur arrived here in the sixteen-oar 
barge on his return from the war district, where he has had final 
arrangements to make. JSTow it is to be hoped that the last spark 
of danger has been stamped out. Mr Le Hunte, having finished 
his work there, returns with Sir Arthur, leaving Captain Knollys 
for the present at the camp. They return to !Nasova this morning, 
so I will send my letter to catch the maiL Good-bye. 



Nasova, November 15. 

About three days after I last wrote to you, the little island- 
steamboat suddenly arrived, and an hour later I had bidden adieu 
to Nananu and to the kind friends who call it home. For a few 
hours we lay off Viti Levu bay to take in those identical corn- 
sacks with which we had become so intimately acquainted ! The 
following morning I arrived here, found Lady Gordon and the 
children well, and everything about the place continuing to 
become cosier and more home-like month by month. How it 
was improved since we first arrived ! The household pets have 
received several additions — namely, some young Kai Tholos, 
orphaned by the war. 

Yesterday a fine young chief, Eatu Taivita (that is, David), 
who was with Captain Knollys in the mountains, and has ever 
since been very ill from the hardships which he there endured, 
died. He was very popular, and his death is much mourned. It 
was decided that he should have a military funeral, as he was an 
officer in the native police, and that his companions in arms should 
assemble in force to pay him the last tokens of respect. He was 



NO SOUND OF WHEELS. 259 

buried this morning. I went to the funeral with Captain Olive 
and the Baron. We assembled at his father's house ; and it was 
a line striking and touching picture that we there saw. Taivita 
was a fine handsome fellow, and he looked grand in death, lying 
on his mats, with dark native cloth thrown over him, and his mass 
of tawny silky hair thrown back almost on the lap of his sister, 
who sat on the mats at his head. The old chief, his father, sat at 
his feet, as one crushed with sorrow. Thakombau's sons, Eatu 
Abel, Timothy, and Joe, with another very high chief, Eatu 
Johnny, were the pall-bearers; and the old Vuni Valu followed 
up the steep path which leads to the cemetery, where already so 
many have found a quiet resting-place beneath the tall palms 
and waving grasses. The grave was found to be too shallow, 
and all had to stand for an hour in the burning sun while it 
was deepened — a trying hour for both the father and the old Vuni 
Yalu. 

There is a chance of sending letters to New Zealand, so I may 
as well despatch this. 

Nasova, December 22. 

Dear Eisa, — There has been nothing special to tell you for a 
good while. Our principal events have been attending a concert 
in Levuka, given in aid of the hospital, and a dance given by 
the Engineer officers, in the old house formerly occupied by the 
Layards, and now by themselves. Happily, being on the sea- 
level, we were able to go and return by boat. Now we are much 
occupied with our approaching trip to New Zealand. Little Nevil 
has had a very severe attack of influenza, followed by fever. So 
Dr Macgregor has positively decided that the children must not 
spend another hot season here ; and we are to start immediately 
for Khandavu, our outermost isle, which lies far to the south, and 
where the three Pacific mail- steamers continue to call every month, 
and tranship their passengers for San Erancisco, New Zealand, and 
Australia, although under protest. So they have kept us on tenter- 
hooks for a year already, expecting that each month would be their 
last call — a very inconvenient condition. Even now, though the 
mail is due on Christmas • Day, no one is sure that she will call, in 
which case we are to go all the way to New Zealand in the very 
uncomfortable little island-steamer, Star of the South. One thing 
to which we look forward with positive delight, is the prospect of 
once more seeing carriages and horses, and being able to enjoy com- 
fortable drives. Do you realise that for more than a year we have 



260 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

not heard the sound of wheels! 1 I believe the Engineers have 
imported a few wheelbarrows, which the Fijians at first carried 
about with great care. These are the only wheeled vehicles in the 
group. As to telegraphy, we have a sort of dim recollection that 
something of the sort exists, but it will be many a long day before 
its imperative messages reach us here. 



CHAPTEK XXIII. 

START FOR NEW ZEALAND EXTINCT VOLCANOES SIR GEORGE 

GREY'S TREASURES TREE-KANGAROOS. 

Auckland, New Zealand, 
Sunday Night, December 31, 1876. 

All best greetings to you, one and all. We arrived yesterday 
in New Zealand, and it is now 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve. We 
had to leave Nasova on Christmas Eve (Sunday), but not till the 
afternoon ; so we had the pleasure of seeing our poor little church 
all transformed, by the help of great tree-ferns and palm-fronds, 
and a moderate amount of red cloth — simple but very effective 
decoration. The palm-fronds especially are invaluable, as one on 
each side of an arched window does all that is required. 

After luncheon we embarked — our party consisting of Lady 
Gordon, Jack and Nevil, Mrs Abbey and the Portuguese nurse, 
Mr Maudslay, and myself. The cabin was such an uncomfortable 
little hole that only the children were condemned to sleep there, 
while we preferred remaining on deck, notwithstanding some rain- 
squalls. We reached Khandavu on Christmas morning, and found 
a very fine large American steamer, the City of Sydney, waiting 
for the arrival of the mail from San Erancisco, which was to give 
her the New Zealand passengers, and go on to Australia. Our 
little steamer did seem like a pigmy as we ran alongside of the 

1 Wheels are no longer unknown in Levuka. A passable road having at length 
"been constructed along the beach, a covered cab now plies to and fro between the 
furthest point of the settlement and the Government offices at Nasova, a distance 
of nearly two miles, carrying passengers at 6d. a-heaH. Among further symptoms 
of progress in 1880, I note the opening of a hotel on the upper Rewa River, and 
another in Taviuni ; also the establishment of regular steam communication all over 
the group, as also with Tonga, New Zealand, and Sydney. 






AERIVE IN AUCKLAND. 261 

great mail-steamer, with her clear deck, allowing an unbroken walk 
of about 300 feet. 

We went on board at once, and the jovial old half - caste 
stewardess told us that on the last trip they carried 250 cabin 
passengers, besides an immense menagerie. We somewhat dreaded 
the probability of so huge an influx, and anxiously awaited the 
arrival of the San Francisco mail. She came, and a few moments 
later up went the yellow flag. Dr Mayo had found a case of sus- 
pected smallpox, so of course quarantined her at once. After the 
frightful scourge of measles, brought on by allowing one infected 
Fijian to land, you can quite understand that quarantine regula- 
tions are strict. Great was the excitement and discussion. The 
Australia wanted to give us all the ]S T ew Zealand passengers, but 
our captain happily stood firm, proving that such a course would 
result in both ships being quarantined, and none available for the 
mail-service next month. So it was decided that both should go 
to Auckland. Our great ship was literally empty, and conse- 
quently very dull. We sailed at the same moment as the 
Australia, and though far apart, kept alongside of one another 
the whole way, and never saw another sail. 

Yesterday at dawn we neared Auckland, and the Australia slipped 
quietly into quarantine harbour, the poor fellow who was ill having 
settled all doubts by dying the previous day. He was buried at 
sea. Two fresh cases have also appeared. It is very trying for all 
the passengers, whose families are here, expecting them for the New 
Year. Mean while we came calmly to our anchorage; but as no 
one in Auckland seemed capable of realising that two steamers had 
arrived, and that we were not also in quarantine, no friends came 
to meet us ; so we found our way to the principal hotel, which is 
not much to boast of, and is at present crowded for the races. 
However, the landlady managed to stow us away in a series of 
pigeon-holes, and I then found my way to the post-office, where I 
was assured there were no letters for any of us, but, after much per- 
severance, succeeded in extracting an enormous budget, including 
twelve home letters for myself, which kept me busy all the rest of 
the day. 

Our first impressions of Auckland are not imposing. It is a 
town of moderate size, now in a transition state from the wooden - 
house period to the brick era. What chiefly strikes me is, that 
even at this time of the races it is so quiet and orderly, scarcely a 
symptom of drink, and every one looks so comfortable and so tidily 
dressed. 



262 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

As yet I have seen no one who looks poor. Yet, en the other 
hand, we see no symptoms of wealth, such as met us at every turn 
in Sydney. But then, I fancy, all the rich people live down in the 
southern provinces, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, which, 
I fear, we shall not be able to visit. From what we hear of fin- 
ancial difficulties in these parts, we are beginning to think that our 
poor little Fiji is, after all, not so exceptionally pauperish. Imagine 
this young colony having already contracted a national debt of 
upwards of twenty millions ! But she follows the example of her 
mother, and bears the burden very cheerfully. 

To-day, being Sunday, I have been at two English churches, each 
having surpliced choir and bright Christmas decorations. This 
morning just in front of me sat a body of native police, Maoris. 
They are fine strapping fellows, like very good specimens of Eng- 
lishmen, only a shade darker ; but their captain, a very handsome 
man, is richly tattooed on both cheeks with dark-blue lines, like 
moustaches. They are the first coloured race I have seen who can 
assume the broadcloth of civilisation without being thereby hope- 
lessly vulgarised. I am also much struck by the beauty of the 
Anglo-Maori half-castes, all previous experience in other lands 
having led me in a great measure to sympathise with the aversion 
commonly felt towards mixed races, who so often unite the worst 
characteristics of both. Here this rule seems to be reversed, and 
I am told that the mixed race is as superior intellectually as it is 
physically. 

At this season there are a large number of Maoris in town, 
attracted by the annual gifts so freely dispensed by the English 
Government. All the men are picturesque, and enliven their civil- 
ised costume by some touch of bright colours : a brilliant scarf, 
thrown round the hat or the shoulders, lends something of Spanish 
grace to the wearer. But hats trimmed with loads of commonest 
artificial flowers do not look in keeping with the shock of unkempt 
hair overhanging the great dark eyes, and long green-stone ear-rings 
of the girls, whose lips and chins are disfigured by curves of dark- 
blue tattooing. Many of them wear bright tartan shawls ; and all 
seem sensitive to cold, for they are much wrapped up, even on these 
hot midsummer days. 

I have been amused at watching the meeting of several parties 
of friends. Their form of salutation is neither kissing, as in 
Europe, nor smelling one another, as in Fiji, but they press their 
noses together, which to our unaccustomed eye looks truly absurd. 



EXTINCT VOLCANOES. 263 



New Year's Morning, 1877. 

I had "written so far when my candle went out, so I sat in the 
dark listening to a real piper in the distance playing " The Camp- 
bells are Coming." Then the clock struck midnight, and the 
Volunteer band marched down the street playing cheerily ; and 
many bursts of anything but music arose on every side, proving 
the lungs of the people to be in exceedingly good condition. 



Devonshire House, Hobson Street, 
January S. 

We moved into these lodgings as soon as possible, and have had 
some pleasant drives and walks. Auckland lies, as it were, in a 
cluster of extinct volcanoes. The largest and most perfect speci- 
men is Kangitoto — a great triple cone rising from a base of black 
lava, very rough and uninviting. The principal crater, near the 
town, is now known as Mount Eden, and its steep grassy slopes are 
dotted with pleasant English houses. On its summit there are still 
traces of the old Maori fortification, in artificially levelled terraces, 
surrounding the deep crater, in which a whole tribe might lie con- 
cealed in case of attack. I sat on the edge of the crater, and 
sketched the town looking towards three volcanoes. The country 
all round is dotted with these, but most of them are insignificant 
little hills. Of course they give great interest to the town, but it 
is not pretty, though the harbour is pleasant. It reminds me of 
some towns in the south of England, with the addition of a good 
land-locked harbour. All the beauty lies further south. The 
primeval forest which formerly clothed this now barren land has 
wholly disappeared. What the woodman's axe spared has been 
swept away by ruthless burning. 

To-day we are going to stay with Sir George Grey on his island- 
home at Kawau. Mr AVhittaker, who is now Prime Minister, has 
offered Lady Gordon the beautiful Government steamer Hinemoa, 
to take us there. On our way we are to call at the AVai Wera hot 
springs, which are much celebrated as a cure for rheumatism and 
other ailments. But though they lie in a pretty bay, the waters 
themselves have been imprisoned in baths ; and a large hotel is built 
close by to accommodate a hundred patients. 

I am told, however, that there are some marvellously beautiful 
geysers and terraces of natural baths somewhere in the Maori 
country, not very far from here. I have not yet met any one whc 



264 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

has seen them ; for, as you know, people never do go to see things 
near home, but I hope to find my way there ere long. 



Isle of Kawau, Twenty Miles from Auckland 
January 9. 

Yesterday morning Mr Whittaker came to escort us on board 
the Hinemoa, which brought us here in great comfort, to receive 
the most cordial of welcomes from kind Sir George Grey. I sup- 
pose you remember that he was Governor here many years ago, and 
proved himself the stanch friend, both of the Maoris and of the 
white settlers ; then he was made Governor of the Cape of Good 
Hope (where he arrived just after Eoualeyn returned from his lion- 
hunting). 

After this he was a second time appointed Governor of New 
Zealand. And so dearly does he love both the country and the 
people, that, when his term of office had expired, he bought this 
charming island, built a regular English house, and devoted him- 
self to making it a little Paradise — an effort in which nature 
readily seconds him, so kindly does this good foster-mother (New 
Zealand) adopt every living thing, animal or vegetable, that is 
brought to her care. 

So palms and pines of many sorts here grow side by side, with 
all kinds of indigenous hard wood ; hops and vines festoon orange- 
trees, while mulberries and loquats, apples, quinces, pears, and 
strawberries, all nourish. Peaches, apricots, and figs grow into 
luxuriant thickets wherever they are once planted, and bear fruit 
abundantly. Flowers are equally luxuriant, — and one tithe of 
the care bestowed on a garden in Fiji is here rewarded by a glow 
of blossom : sweet-peas, jessamine, mignonette, and many other 
wellnigh forgotten delights, make the whole air fragrant. 

The house stands at the head of a lovely little bay, and only a 
green lawn and a belt of tall flowering aloes intervene between it 
and the shore. This bay, like all the shores of the isle, is fringed 
with large trees, called by the Maoris Pohutakawa — i.e., the brine- 
sprinkled — because it loves to outstretch its wide boughs over the 
salt sea ; but the English settlers call it the Christmas-tree, 1 be- 
cause it invariably blossoms at Christmas-time, and boughs of its 
scarlet flowers take the place of holly in church-decoration. When 
in its prime, each tree is one mass of glowing scarlet ; and the 
effect of its flame-coloured branches overhanging the bright blue 
1 Meirosideros tomentosa. 



A children's paradise. 265 

water, and dripping showers of fiery stamens in the sea or on the 
grass, is positively dazzling. Already the first burst of colour is pas 
sing off, but enough remains to give marvellous beauty to the shores 

The house is like a cosy old English home — every room wood 
panelled, and full of strange treasures from many lands. Good 
old engravings and pictures; wonderful specimens of old Maori 
carving; weapons and robes of all sorts, including rare feather- 
cloaks ; precious objects from the Summer Palace, including a jade- 
tablet, which was a page in the Emperor of China's genealogy; 
priceless ancient gold jewels from Mexico; the stone-axe of the 
greatest monarch of the Sandwich Isles ; and, strangest of all, 
some beautiful old china, which for the last two centuries has lain 
at the bottom of the sea, and has now been rescued from a vessel 
which was sunk off the Cape two hundred years ago. In the 
'delightful library of carefully selected and valuable works are 
many old manuscripts of the greatest interest, including about 
fifteen bound volumes in Arabic character, but written in some 
dialect of Central Africa which is as yet unknown. These are an 
Ancient African history. Sir George knew of its existence, and 
advertised for it when he was Governor of the Cape. Many years 
afterwards, a case containing the volumes was brought to him by a 
man-of-war, whose captain stated that a fine old Arab gentleman 
e.t Zanzibar had brought it on board, and made him understand 
that it contained manuscripts which he had succeeded in rescuing 
from the interior. Only think what strange historical mysteries 
may one day be solved, when some Arabic scholar shall take to 
dialect-hunting in Central Africa, and return competent to read 
these now sealed books ! 

The children are in Paradise, racing about and finding pets of 
every sort, all at large, — gold and silver pheasants, and multitudes 
of common ones. As to skylarks, the whole air seems musical 
with their lovely warble. I can hardly realise that they, like the 
too abundant thistles on the mainland, are all imported from Scot- 
land. Last night we strolled up to the dairy — a nice clean English 
dairy. The path lay over swelling pasture-land — just like Sussex 
downs — with sheep and cattle feeding. After so long a spell in 
Fiji, where grass generally means tall reeds, meeting far above your 
head, the mere fact of walking over short meadow-grass is charm- 
ing ; and then to sit on it, watching the sun set over the sea, and 
listening to the 

' ' Busy crowd 
Of larks in purest air.'' 



266 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

carried me right back to Gordonstown, and onr own green hills 
overlooking tlie Moray Firth. This is the purest air you can ima- 
gine. It is just warm enough to be pleasant, and slightly bracing, 
but not too sudden a change from the tropics. 

I have just come in from an exquisite walk with our kind host. 
He does love this island, which he has beautified with so much 
care, and has been showing me all manner of interesting things. 
Amongst others, in a quiet glade of most carefully preserved na- 
tive bush, we saw a large number of lovely little tree-kangaroos, 
of which Sir George imported the first pair from Xew Guinea, 
and which have already multiplied exceedingly. They are small 
animals, as beautiful as they are rare, with the richest brown fur, 
and when ^feeding in the grassy glades you would naturally mistake 
them for hares; but at the faintest sound they sit upright, and 
standing on their long hind-legs, they bound away with a succes- 
sion of leaps, and reappear springing . from bough to bough, and 
peering cautiously from among the dark foliage. 

Besides these squirrel-like beauties, there are large numbers of 
common kangaroos, or wallabies, as they are commonly called ; and 
herds of Indian elk, fallow deer, and even red deer, roam at large. 
Mr Maudslay looks forward to some pleasant days of pheasant- 
shooting, and also in pursuit of wild cattle and wild pigs. As to 
the wallabies, they are almost beneath the dignity of a true sports- 
man — so very deliberate is their strange leaping retreat, and so 
frequently do they pause to gaze wistfully at him. I believe that 
even these are imported animals, and that .New Zealand, like Fiji, 
possessed literally no indigenous quadrupeds except a small rat. 
There are some specimens of the wingless birds still living on this 
isle as in a haven of refuge; and amongst the house treasures, 
there is a skeleton of the great extinct moa, which is like a gigantic 
ostrich. 

January 12. 

To-day we have had quite a novel excitement. A large party of 
Maoris arrived in half-a-dozen good English boats. They were 
fishing for sharks — not the common shark, though it also haunts 
these seas, but a small kind, rarely exceeding six feet in length, 
which they dry for winter food. As all the Maoris come here on 
the most friendly terms, Mr George (married to Sir George Grey's 
niece) took Jack, Nevil, and myself on board their biggest boat. 
They had already caught upwards of fifty, which were thrown into 
the hold, and we saw ten more, caught with bait. "When hauled 



KAPID CHANGES. 267 

iii, the sharks receive a violent blow on the nose, which apparently 
kills them at once. In some seasons the Maoris catch as many as 
15,000 off this island, and they take them to a small isle in the 
neighbourhood where they hang them up to dry ; you can imagine 
how fragrant the atmosphere becomes ! Mr George tells me he has 
seen a wall three hundred feet long, and at least six feet high, of 
this unsavoury Avinter store. 

Of course to me this glimpse of true Maori life has been most 
interesting. Afterwards the fishers came to see Sir George, for 
whom they have a great affection and respect, and with good 
cause. His knowledge of their language is said to be quite per- 
fect. He has collected a great number of their old songs and 
legends, and published them; and now a sect called Hau-Hau, 
who have thrown off their early faith in Christianity, and made up 
an amalgamated religion for themselves, read this book in their 
churches as being the Maori Bible, and more edifying to them 
than the legends of Syria. 

It is so strange to hear Sir George tell of all the changes he has 
seen here since the days when he selected the sites of the settle- 
ments, each of which is now a great city — Christchurch for the 
English Church party, and Dunedin for the Scots. When he first 
knew the latter it was the home of one old sailor. Later he visited 
the place and found a flourishing village. After fifteen years, when 
he returned from the Cape of Good Hope, about 7000 people came 
out several miles to meet him, and took him by a back way to the 
great town hall, built on the site where first he had pitched his 
tent ; then they led him to the front, where he was received by 
upwards of a thousand well-dressed ladies. 



In an Old Maori Pah, Kawau, 
Sunday, Jan. 28, 1S77. 

Dearest Eisa, — The day is so lovely that I have brought my 
writing up to this pleasant old fort, and am sitting on the grassy 
top of a yellow sandstone cliff which rises sheer from a sea so clear 
that, as I look over the precipices, I can see the white-breasted cor- 
morants (the kawau) dive for fish, and swim after them under water 
for ever so far. The only symptom of fighting which remains on 
this peaceful spot is a deep ditch which runs round the land side ; 
but every marked headland hereabouts has been a pah or fort, where 
in old days tattooed warriors fought to the death. Those on this 
island were noted pirates, and at last all the neighbouring tribes 



268 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

united to destroy them. It is peaceful enough, now, but matters 
are by no means over secure on the mainland. 1 

The state of things existing in this country is most extraordinary. 
Imagine that, within twenty miles of Auckland, there is a vast 
tract of land on which no white man dare set foot. Only outlaws, 
murderers, and suchlike, are there allowed to take refuge, and jus- 
tice cannot touch them. Sometimes out of respect to Sir George, 
they will give a personal friend of his permission to travel through 
the country ; but when he sent Mr Maudslay up last week, they 
turned him back. 

A number of them come here to consult Sir George upon various 
matters. Most of them are very fine men ; and what particularly 
strikes us is seeing how well they look in comfortable woollen 
suits. I believe the Maoris \lways did wear plenty of clothes — 
at least large blankets, beautifully made either of flax or kiwi 
feathers. When Mr Maudslay was in their country last week, 
he showed them a number of Fijian photographs, at which they 
looked with keen interest ; but were much shocked by the undress 
of the girls, which, they remarked, was even worse than that of the 
ladies at the Government House balls ! 

The climate here is delicious : each day is like a very lovely 

1 During ten years of travel among brown and yellow races of every hue, con- 
tinually spending long days alone with my paint-box in most wild and remote 
places, I have always done so fearlessly, being convinced that among these people 
a white woman leads a charmed life. While revising these pages I have received 
awful proof to the contrary from the following paragraph in the ' Times : ' — 

"An English Lady Murdered in New Zealand. — New Zealand newspapers 
to hand by the last mail contain details of the murder of Miss Mary Beatrice 
Dobie, daughter of the late Major H. M. Dobie, of the Madras Army, by a Maori at 
Taranaki, New Zealand, on the - /5th of November. Miss Dobie, who was twenty- 
six years of age, formerly resided at Irthington, Cumberland, with her mother and 
sisters. At the time of the murder she was staying with her brother-in-law, Major 
Goring, and her mother. On the afternoon of the 25th of November, Miss Dobie 
had gone out for a walk towards Te Ngamu. and as she did not return a search- 
party was organised, and bonfires were lighted along the coast-line. The body was 
found forty yards off the main road. The throat was cut from ear to ear, and 
life was extinct. Near the body was a bunch of wild-flowers, evidently gathered 
by the deceased. The ground showed traces of a desperate struggle, and the flax- 
bushes were bespattered with blood. The spot is a very lonely one, about a hun- 
dred yards from an uninhabited house at Te Ngamu. An inquest was held, at 
which evidence was given implicating a Maori named Tuhi, who subsequently con- 
fessed to the crime. Miss Dobie, who was well known in Auckland, had gone to 
the place where she lost her life for the purpose of sketching Ngamu Bay. She was 
an ardent admirer of New Zealand scenery, and many of her sketches have appeared 
in the 'Graphic' " 

This sad story comes home to me the more vividly as this attractive and accom- 
plished lady visited Fiji with an elder sister shortly after my departure. They 
were for some time guests of Sir Arthur Gordon at Nasova, whence they made ex- 
peditions to many parts of the group, and afterwards proceeded to New Zealand to 
join their relations. 



TRIUMPHS OF ACCLIMATISATION. 269 

English summer, or like our coolest days in Fiji. Indeed our life 
here is much the same as if we were living on one of the Fijian 
isles, — just as isolated and self-contained. 

Only once a-week does a steamer call with the mails, and great 
is the excitement it occasions. All the families living on the 
island (numbering about six, gardener, carpenter, shepherds, and la- 
bourers) assemble on the beach with all their babies. The six house- 
maidens, three of whom are the daughters of one of the resident 
families, also turn out. They wear neat cotton dresses, and large 
straw-hats, trimmed with white muslin and black velvet ; and very 
nice and simple they look. Sir George extends to all his people 
the same genial cordiality and genuine kindness by which he makes 
us feel so thoroughly at home here. His one wish is that all 
should enjoy this little paradise of peace and beauty as much as he 
does himself. So every girl in the house is allowed two hours' 
walk every afternoon, and the whole of Sunday afternoon ; and once 
a-week they have a dance, to which they invite the few swains within 
reach, and have a very lively evening. Most of their fathers own a bit 
of land somewhere, and they will probably marry small landowners. 

Such a sad thing happened quite lately on the mainland just 
opposite here. A young man had just received his bride elect from 
her parents, and the two started alone to ride to Auckland (distant 
about twenty-five miles), there to get married. In the dusk he 
struck a match to light his pipe. His horse reared, threw him 
down a bank, and he was killed instantly. The wretched girl had 
to ride on alone till she reached a house, where she found people, 
who returned with her to rescue his body. Certainly the dwellers 
in thinly-peopled districts have to face many a rough bit on their 
path through life. 

As to ourselves, life goes on very peacefully, and very pleasantly. 
We explore all the lovely bays and the little valleys and headlands, 
and admire the care with which every natural advantage has been 
preserved and fresh beauties added. Certainly this is a paradise 
for acclimatisation ; and in a very few years it will be hard to 
guess what is indigenous and what imported. There are pines and 
cypresses from every corner of the globe ; Australian gums ; silver- 
leaved trees from the Cape ; and all manner of fruit-bearing trees, 
planted for the enjoyment of all alike. And these mingle freely 
with all forms of hardwood peculiar to JSTew Zealand, notably the 
stately kauri pine (Dammara australis), which is peculiar to the 
province of Auckland, and very similar to the ndakua pine of Fiji ; 
and neither of them would at the first glance be recognised by the 



270 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

unlearned to be pines at all, their foliage being small oblong leaves, 
and their cones insignificant; their stem is perfectly upright, 
There is an indigenous palm here, called the nikau, a species of 
areka; and the green dracaena (Cordyline australis) flourishes on 
all moist soil. The settlers call it the cabbage-tree, though its 
cluster of long handsome leaves crowning a tall stem is nowise 
suggestive of that familiar vegetable. The Maoris call it the ti 
tree — by which name the whites, in common with the Australian 
blacks, call a scrubby shrub, somewhat resembling j uniper or gigan- 
tic heather, which to the Maoris is known as manakau. Its foliage 
consists of tiny needles, while its delicate white blossoms resemble 
myrtle. It grows in dense thickets, and spreads so rapidly as to 
cause endless trouble to the settler who endeavours to convert the 
hillsides into such pleasant slopes of English grass as those which 
here appear so perfectly natural, that I could at first hardly believe 
them to be the result of patient toil. 

Just below the headland where I am now sitting, there are tufts 
of handsome green flags. This is the precious New Zealand flax 
(Phormium tenax). Its handsome stalk of red blossom (fully ten 
feet high) is a special attraction to the bees; and great are the 
treasures of wild honey to be dug out of the banks, by wily hunters. 
The long leaves of this flax are nature's ready-made cords and straps, 
so strong is the fibre, and so readily do the leaves split into the 
narrowest strips. At the base of each leaf there is a coating of 
strong gum, which, I believe, is the chief difficulty in employing 
machinery in the manufacture of this flax, so as to render it a 
profitable article of commerce. 

As to tree-ferns of many kinds, their luxuriance is not to be 
surpassed. In some deep shady places I have seen them growing 
stems fully thirty feet high ; while other green gullies are wholly 
overshadowed by great fronds which on the under side gleam like 
silver. Imagine the delight of losing yourself in such a dream 
of loveliness, and perhaps coming suddenly on a thicket of figs 
or peaches, loaded with ripe fruit ! Then wandering homeward 
through the meadows, by the course of a sparkling brooklet, and 
gathering mushrooms and water-cresses in abundance, while over- 
head the larks are singing in chorus. 

Another luxury is the abundance of oysters. The island has a 
coast-line of about thirty miles, along which lie a succession of 
oyster-beds. IS T ot content with covering the rocks, they grow on 
the lower branches of the beautiful "brine-sprinkled " puhutakcuca 
trees, which literally dip into the sea. And so we sit beneath their 



PHOSPHORIC LIGHTS. 271 

shadow and knock the oysters off with a sharp stone, and have 
feasts which any epicure might envy ; for the oysters are of excel- 
lent flavour. I own that at first I did feel considerable repugnance 
to this method of eating my fellow - creatures (which certainly 
seemed near akin to the Fijian taste for eating various small fish 
alive) ; but having once been induced to try it, I plead guilty to 
being now foremost at every oyster picnic, being fully satisfied that 
the interesting mollusc must be devoid of nerves, and of all con- 
sciousness of the pleasures of existence ! 

February 13. 

I must tell you about a wonderful effect of phosphorescence which 
I have seen on the last two nights while looking down from my 
window to the lovely little bay. On Sunday the 11th there had 
been violent thunderstorms, with vivid lightning and downpours 
of rain, leaden skies, and a bright-green sea. So heavy were the 
rain-storms that the whole bay was discoloured by the red mud 
washed down by the streamlets — a strange contrast to its usually 
faultless crystalline green. I chanced to look out about 11 p.m., 
and saw the whole bay glowing with pale white light ; and fiery 
wavelets rippled right up beneath the trees and round the rocks, 
which stood out sharp and black. The effect was of a sea of living 
light, and as I beheld it, framed by dark trees, with tall flowering 
aloes cutting black against the dazzling light, it was a weird and 
wonderful scene. For about ten minutes I watched it entranced, 
then it slowly faded away, and the scene was changed to dense 
obscurity. Last night I looked out at the same hour, and saw 
nothing but darkness, but about midnight I was awakened by a 
deafening crash of thunder, followed by heavy rain. I guessed 
this would stir up whatever creatures caused the strange pallid 
light. Perhaps they are disturbed by the rain-drops, or perhaps 
they receive a small electric shock which starts them all dancing.. 
Whatever be the cause, the result proved as I expected. Ere I 
could reach the window, the bay was illuminated by tiny ripples 
of fire, which gradually increased in size and number till all was 
one blaze of glowing dazzling light. This lasted for about five 
minutes, and then died completely away. 

March 4. 

The Fiji mail has brought us most sad news — namely, the death 
from dysentery of Mrs Macgregor, the last remaining of our original 
sisterhood. I was with her the very day we left Levuka, and 



272 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

within six weeks she had passed away, leaving one wee lassie, little 
]N"ell, about three years old, also an older boy in Scotland. It 
seems such a little while since we watched Mrs de Ricci pass 
away from the same dread illness. And now we hear that Mr 
Eyre is very ill at Nasova, and that he must be sent here on 
sick-leave as soon as he can be moved. Colonel Pratt was in- 
valided some time ago, and has been for some weeks in Auckland. 
Sir George invited him to come here, and we expected him by several 
successive steamers, but each time he was too ill to come ; once he 
fainted twice in one day. Certainly he ought not to risk returning 
to Fiji It seems too foolish — and poor Mrs Macgregor's death is 
a terrible warning of how little resistance to dysentery can be made 
by a constitution when once enfeebled by the climate, and Colonel 
Pratt has long felt it to be trying and exhausting. 1 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

GOLD MINES — A NEW CITY — NATIVE DEFENCES — KAURI FOREST — A HARD 
RIDE— KATI KATI— TAURANGA GATE PAH, AND CEMETERY — OHINEMUTD 
— A VOLCANIC REGION. 

GRA.HAMSTOWN, THAMES GOLD-FlELDS, 

March 23, 1877. 

My dear Alexa, — You see I have struck quite a new line of 
country — very different to peaceful Kawau, which we left a fort- 
night ago, returning to Auckland for a change. jSTow Lady Gordon 
and the children have once more gone back to the isle, but I deter- 
mined to see something of the country, so in the first instance came 
here to see real gold-diggings. Five hours by steamer brought me to 
this great baby town, where kindest welcome awaited me in the home 
of Captain Fraser, the warden of the gold-fields, an Inverness man 
who has lived out here for many years, and is immensely respected. 
His wife comes from Fife, and I find we have several friends in 
common. Though a gentle little lady, she must be a woman of 
rare pluck, for all through the Maori war, when her husband had 
contracts for commissariat, &c, she herself had, in his absence, to 
superintend all the farrier and blacksmith work, do what she could 

1 He did, however, return with us to Fiji, and shortly afterwards was sent home 
in command of his men. He died in Edinbunrh, not Ions alter his return. 



GOLD-MINES. 273 

to prevent the men from drinking (in which task she "was often 
unsuccessful), and look after the packing and despatching of a 
whole regiment of pack-horses. She had also to keep all the ac- 
counts, and attend to many other matters. At other times she was 
left quite alone — that is, with only one maid-servant, and was 
warned every night that it would probably be her last. These are 
the sort of incidents you gather in those new countries, in the his- 
tory of lives that seem so quiet ! 

I am amused to find that the gold-fields here are really great 
rocky mountains, and that there is not a scrap of level ground in 
the place, except what has been artificially constructed. So, after 
all, I have not found my way to " the diggings " as I supposed. I 
find that term only applies to the alluvial gold-fields, where gold 
has been washed down from the mountains. Here it is all embedded 
in quartz-veins running through the rocks, and needs hard work to 
get it out. 

Eight years ago this place was all wild ^"ew Zealand bush — the 
mountains densely wooded to the shore. Now not a tree remains 
(save those planted in gardens) ; and the well-scraped hills are all 
burrowed, as if a colony of rabbits had been at work. When first 
gold was found here there was a grand rush, and this great town 
sprang up. Then it fell off; but within the last three weeks such 
a quantity of gold has been found in the Moanatairi mine, that the 
place is once more in a ferment, and large fortunes have been lost 
and won in a day over mining shares. 

Of course I went to see the lucky mine. We had to walk along 
a main tunnel, three-quarters of a mile long, all lighted with gas, 
and the whole roof sparkling with tiny green stars — the lamps of a 
very ugly worm (not our glow-worm). From this main tunnel 
shafts descend to the different mines, and, in some cases, side drives 
diverge. The latter, being easier of access, suited me best, and 
answered the purpose as well. I went into various burrows, where 
the men were hard at work — generally two in partnership; and 
some nice lads worked extra hard (with pickaxe) to try and find a 
scrap of gold for me. 

Then we went to see the batteries where the quartz is crushed 
and the gold extracted by various processes (all this by mighty 
machinery). But the most powerful of all is the huge pump, whose 
shaft is 650 feet deep, and which pumps all the mines. The water 
deposits silica in such quantities that the great tubes are coated 
every few days with an incrustation about an inch thick, that has 
to be removed with a chiseL 

8 



274 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

A good deal of the gold can only be got by pounding the quartz D 
till it becomes white mud (through which quicksilver is run tc 
amalgamate the gold). Then the quicksilver is boiled and distilled, |l 
and it passes off in steam, leaving the gold pure. The gold is 
brought to the bank to be melted again and made into bricks. I 
was there yesterday when 12,000 ounces were brought in, in six 
lumps larger than a man's head. They had to be broken up with 
wedge and sledge-hammer, into pieces small enough for the melting- 
pot, out of which the red gold was poured, when liquid, into I 
moulds, already greased — or rather oiled — which oil blazed up ; and 
then the mould was cooled in water, and the golden brick produced. 
I said red gold, — for so it looked when melted ; but the bricks are 
sickly-looking, owing to the amount of silver in the ore — 30 per 
cent. 

So much for the gold which has produced this big baby town ; 
but the town itself astonishes me most, as the growth of eight years \ 
— a large town, stretching along the shore for two miles ; and apart 
from the huge batteries and chimneys and mining buildings of all 
sorts, it is quite a pleasant town, — great part of it built on land 
actually reclaimed from the sea by the mining-stuff thrown out 
(clean quartz and sandstone). Every miner has a nice house and 
garden, quantities of fruit and flowers, and generally a tidy wife , 
and family. 

On Sunday all work stops, and the whole population turn out, 
well dressed and orderly. There are churches of every conceivable 
denomination — all well filled. The Church of England, where we 
were on Sunday, is large and handsome, with a £300 stained-glass 
window. A very fine naval reserve corps, and a military cadet 
corps, were present (all miners) ; and there is a strong volunteer 
corps of Scotchmen (also miners). Altogether, I never saw a more 
satisfactory community than this big baby mining city ; and having 
the beautiful sea is such an advantage — steamers always coming and 
going. I cannot help comparing the advantages of life in ]Sew 
Zealand with those of poor colonists in Fiji : why, in the matter 
of house-rent alone, — Captain Eraser bought this pretty house, with 
good garden and grounds, for £400 ; whereas at Levuka the Have- 
locks were paying £218 a-year rent for a much smaller house, with 
no garden to speak of. 

Captain Eraser has just told me that he will make arrangements 
to enable me to ride across country into the wonderful volcanic 
district which I am longing to see. My luggage will return to 
Auckland by one steamer, and go thence by another steamer to 



A FRAIL FORTRESS. 275 

Tauranga, where I shall find it, so I can only keep as much as can 
be strapped to my side-saddle. When the plan was first suggested, 
I was told the tracks would be impassable and the ride impracti- 
cable; but Captain Fraser says that if I can stand some rough 
work, I can do it well enough. So he is taking no end of trouble 
to plan a pleasant expedition for me, and make my way easy ; he 
will lend me his own horses, and is writing to his friends all along 
my route to request them to show me hospitality, and act escort 
from one point to the next. 

So next Tuesday I am to go by steamer up the river Thames to 
Ohinemuri, and thence ride to the house of Mr Allom, who is here 
now, but returns home to-morrow, and who will put me up for a 
night ; and next day he and his daughter will ride with me to Kati 
Kati, a new Irish settlement of colonists from Belfast, headed by 
Mr Vesey Stewart. The colony includes one Englishman — namely, 
Arthur Fisher, Bishop Eden's grandson ! How I do stumble on 
home-links everywhere ! He is to be electrified by a telegram, re- 
questing him to meet us at the ford and guide us over. How 
astonished he will be ! 

All further stages of the road are planned with equal care, so I 
have the prospect of a very delightful expedition. 



Kati Kati, March 29. 

... I must tell you about my journey here from the Thames 
gold-fields. First, three hours in a capital .little steamer, the Te 
Aroha, up the lovely river Thames, passing through forests of the 
white pine (kahikatia), with shapely blue hills beyond, and the 
banks of the river fringed with lovely vegetation — New Zealand 
flax, convolvulus, tree-ferns, masses of sweet-brier (imported), and 
splendid weeping willows, also imported, but now growing more 
luxuriantly than I ever saw them do in England. And here and 
there rich pasture-land and many cattle feeding, mostly the pro- 
perty of the Maoris, for we were now passing through lands reserved 
by the natives, and saw many of their villages. 

We reached the steamboat's destination at sunset, when the hills 
were crimson and purple, and had the luck to see a real native p"h 
which the inhabitants have just fortified, to prevent a hostile tribe 
from coming up the river. It was nothing to look at, only reeds 
and posts, but interesting of course. All the wild unkempt women 
! came out to look at me, and we waved hands. Lucky for me that 
I we were safe out of nose-rubbing distance ! The civilised Maoris 



276 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

have taken to European ways in every respect — have English houses, 
carriages, &c. ; even dressing-tables with white muslin covers and 
pink lining ! 

At the landing-place I was met by Mr Allom. One of Captain 
Fraser's horses had been sent for me; I have my own excellent saddle, 
and we had a lovely moonlight ride of about five miles along the 
beautiful Ohinemuri river (that means "the girl I have left"), 
received most cordial welcome from Mrs Allom, a handsome pleas- 
ant lady (none the less so for many years of severe roughing), and 
the mother of a large family. They are now living in a rough 
wooden shanty, and themselves doing all their cooking, &c, in the 
one living-room. They made me most comfortable ; and at break 
of day Mrs A. was astir, quietly and unaffectedly, preparing a 
capital breakfast (having fed the horses herself at 4 A.M.), and at 
7 a.m. Mr A., his eldest daughter, and I, started to ride here 
a twenty-five miles' ride, which became twenty-eight by our having 
to make a long circuit round a swamp, as the foot-track which we 
were following crossed an innocent-looking creek, in which the fore- 
most horse got hideously bogged. 

Our first mile lay through the most exquisite tract of bush I have 
ever seen anywhere, though my experience in tropical isles has 
made me somewhat fastidious in this matter. But here nature 
seems to have surpassed herself, as if rejoicing in her own loveliness, 
so artistic is the grouping of varied foliage and clumps of delicate 
tree-ferns, and so rich the undergrowth of all manner of humbler 
forms. I saw some clusters of tree-ferns whose stems were nearly 
forty feet high, and matted with luxuriant creepers. These just 
touched by gleams of sunlight, stealing through the dark masses of 
foliage overhead; groups of the tall mated and rimu, the red or 
white pine, mingling with the various kinds of hardwood. You 
cannot conceive anything more lovely. Imagine my disgust on 
hearing the practical comment of a settler on this dream of beauty : 
" Oh yes, that block has been reserved for firewood ! " implying that 
all the now dull country round was equally beautiful till it was 
" improved " by wholesome burning, to facilitate clearings. Such 
is the march of civilisation in all lands ! 

On the hills just above us lay a magnificent forest of the giant 
kauri pine, which is found only in this northern part of the north 
isle. It is a noble tree, its tall upright stems standing ranged like 
the pillars of some grand cathedral. It is so highly prized for 
timber that it is largely exported both to the southern isle and to 
Australia, consequently vast tracts which but a few years ago were 



HOW WE REACHED KATI KATI. 277 

primeval forest are now utterly denuded. It is from the scrub- 
land where these forests once stood that the precious kauri gum is 
dug up in large clear lumps like amber. They are found within 
two feet of the surface, and are supposed to have been formed by 
the melting of the resin when the forests were burned. 

High up on the mountain-side lies the new gold-field, " the 
Ohinerauri," only started two years ago. We could see the tiny 
tents and huts of the gold-miners, most of whom have their wives 
and families with them. It is a most romantic site for a camp, 
and one which I would fain have visited. The quartz is brought 
down thence by tramways to the batteries, which are placed fur- 
ther down the hill ; and hard labour it has been to drag all that 
heavy machinery even so far, over hill and dale, through difficult 
bush, without even the semblance of a road. Such a gold-camp as 
this would be far more in keeping with our ideal, derived from 
Bret Harte, than the civilised city of Grahamstown, so I greatly 
regret that this was not included in my line of march ; nothing 
could have been simpler, as my friends Captain Fraser and Mr 
Allom are in command of the whole. 

As it was, I wistfully turned away from the exquisite fern 
paradise and the dark kauri forests, and then commenced a long 
ride across uninteresting plains bounded by commonplace hills. 
Towards noon Ave overlooked the seaboard, and paused to learn our 
day's geography from the vast map outspread below us, the horses, 
meanwhile, feasting on a kind of veronica, a shrub with purple 
blossoms, evidently highly appreciated. We, too, were conscious 
of having breakfasted at an unwonted hour, but could find no 
cool shady spot where we could halt for luncheon, till we reached 
a Maori settlement on the sea-coast. 

Thence our way for the last few miles lay along the beach, on 
broad beautiful sand, with the wavelets rippling right under the 
horses' feet. It would have been most enjoyable could we either 
have gone leisurely, or unburdened. But as it was, we had to 
hurry on, in order to cross a wide tidal creek at low tide, and 
already the tide was on the turn. So we had to keep up a hard 
swinging gallop, and (being as yet a novice in the arts of bush- 
travelling, in a land where there are no patient coolies ever ready 
to run miles and miles with luggage) I was encumbered with a 
heavy travelling-bag insecurely strapped to the pommel — sketching 
materials ditto — opera-glasses keeping time against my side, and 
a large umbrella, which I dared not open, though the sun was 
burning. Having to hold on to all these, and keep up our un- 



278 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

flagging pace, was to me desperately fatiguing, and after all, we 
reached the creek too late, and there was nothing for it but to wait 
patiently at the little lonely telegraph-station for a couple of hours, 
when Mr Field, the civil young clerk, offered to row us to our 
destination (four miles). 

This proved fortunate, for the hard gallop in the sun had 
exhausted me, and all in a minute I turned giddy and unconscious, 
which would have been awkward had we been half-way across the 
wide, and at all times unpleasant, ford ; as it was, I was all right 
in a few minutes, and Mr Field made me lie down in his wee 
room till it was time to start, when we had a lovely moonlight 
row, and landed here — all three, total strangers — to find that 
Arthur Fisher and our host and hostess were all alike absent. 
But we were most hospitably received by two sweet lady-like girls 
under thirteen, and five sons, the youngest a dear little fellow of 
four, with a kind good nurse. It had been intended that we 
should continue the ride to Taurauga to-day, but when I found it 
was forty miles, and no resting-place by the way, I cried off, and 
am going down the lake (twenty-five miles) by boat. Mr Allom 
and his daughter will return home from here. 



Ohinemutu, Easter Day 1877. 

Two years, this morning, since we sailed from Marseilles ! This 
is not very like Easter Day, but is certainly novel. I might say, 
not suggestive of heaven so much as of the Inferno, for the land 
on every side of us is but a thin crust, through which boiling 
springs burst up in every direction, and clouds of hot steam rise 
from every tuft of ferns or tempting bit of foliage. Each spring 
seems to differ from all the others in the character of the water — 
the mineral qualities I mean; so when they have been duly 
analysed, there will be some to suit every complaint under heaven. 
Even now many people have been cured by them of long-standing 
rheumatism — but it is not safe to be the first to experimentalise. 
!Not long ago two gentlemen determined to try all the springs in 
succession, and at last one of them became paralysed. However, 
it is safe enough to indulge in the usual regulated baths, in which 
you can remain as long as ever you please; and very delightful 
they are — no matter how tired you may be v you seem to come out 
all right. The regular thing, however, is for the whole population, 
of both sexes, to bathe together in the warm mud, and then swim 
about in the cool lake : and white gentlemen arc apt to be rather 



A MIDNIGHT GUEST. 279 

startled when a dusky damsel swims up to them and offers a whiff 
of her pipe ! 

But I must take up the thread of my story where I left off — 
namely, the voyage down the lake from the Irish settlement at 
Kati Kati to Tauranga. It was in a small boat, rowed by one old 
man. He accepted me as a " pal," and told me off to steer, — and 
didn't he just keep me in order ! But owing to the tides and the 
mangrove-swamps, which had to be avoided, it was 4 p.m. before 
we were able to start, and it was 12 p.m. ere we reached Tauranga, 
and my poor old boy was ■ so exhausted that he could not row 
round to the pier, so landed me on a mud-swamp half a mile off. 
Luckily it was a bright moonlight night, and so bitterly cold that 
a walk was quite a pleasure, though a good deal of it was ankle- 
deep in mnd ; so we left my saddle in the boat till morning, not 
without some qualms on my part, and started to find the house of 
Mrs Edgecumbe, to whom I had been consigned by Captain Eraser. 
Of course, the house was shut up, and I felt rather shy of walking 
up and knocking at such an hour. Happily my host was a light 
sleeper, and answered instantly ; and in a second a cheery English 
maid welcomed me, took me to the kitchen and warmed me, by 
which time my host was dressed, and fed me with all good things. 
His wife had gone to Auckland with a sick child. They had ar- 
ranged that Arthur Fisher was to be on the watch for me — on the 
pier — till all reasonable hours had passed. And there he actually 
did wait till 2 a.m., which, however, I did not know till next morn- 
ing, when he came to escort me over the town of Tauranga, which 
has a deep interest, as the scene of one of the most dreadful fights 
with the Maoris — that of the Gate Pah, where so many English 
officers were killed. I found in the very picturesque cemetery the 
names of various men I knew. It is a lovely spot by the sea, and 
lovingly cared for — a green headland, where bright blossoms bloom 
beneath the shelter of English willows, and scented geraniums grow 
in wild profusion among the rocks. 

This was on Good Friday, and Arthur and I had naturally in- 
tended going to church ; but we found closed doors, the parson and 
his people being in a curious state of antagonism. In Auckland 
all church services are elaborate, and the two bishops were holding 
mission services, but I cannot say the country districts seem very 
well cared for. As concerns the Maoris (who began by being as 
warm Christians as our Fijians now are), a vast multitude who, 
previous to the war, were apparently most reverent and devout, 
have now a profound contempt for the white man's religion : and 



280 AT HOME IN EIJI. 

so, having either banished or murdered their teachers, they have 
invented new religions for themselves — strange compounds of many 
creeds, mingled with most utter absurdities. But even such as 
continue to be Christians now seem to be deserted by their teachers, 
and the churches stand empty. Even to-day — Easter — there has 
been no service in this large settlement. 

At Tauranga I was able to hire a good bush-carriage and strong 
four-horse team, with relay, for the forty miles' drive. Most of it 
lay through the bush, but its beauty has been destroyed by the 
wholesale felling of the tree ferns, whose black stems are closely laid 
as sleepers across the worst parts of the very worst bush-road I ever 
saw. It seemed a more cruel misuse of these lovely plants than 
even the Fijian custom of employing them largely in house-build- 
ing. Here, from their low estate, many of the forgiving plants put 
forth fresh fronds, and the muddy road was fringed with a border 
of tender green. 

On arriving here I found two tidy little hotels, and decided to 
stay at Mrs Wilson's, where I have received the utmost hearty 
kindness, and am very well cared for. There are three ladies and 
some gentlemen staying in the house, for the sake of the healing 
waters. 

Ohinemutu is a native settlement on the shores of Lake Rotorua, 
situated in the very midst of boiling springs of every variety. As 
you look down on the village you catch glimpses of the little brown 
huts appearing and disappearing through veils of white vapour. 
The whole country round sjems to be steaming, and every step re- 
quires caution lest you should carelessly plunge through the thin 
and treacherous crust of crisp baked soil, into unknown horrors that 
lie below. If you thrust a walking-stick into the ground, the steam 
immediately rises from the opening thus made. At every few steps 
you, came to a boiling pool, often wellnigh concealed by a fringe of 
rare and delicate ferns of the most exquisitely vivid green — a p< 
cuiiarity shared by all the plants which nourish in this perpetua' 
vapour-bath. In some places a greenish gelatinous or slimy vege 
table substance grows in the crevices of the rock where the boilim 
spray constantly falls. It belongs to the family of algse, and rank: 
low in the scale of organisation. The marvel is, how any form o: 
life can exist in such a temperature. It is the salamander of the 
vegetable kingdom. 

Here, as in every other volcanic region I have visited, I a 
struck by the exceeding coldness of springs and streams lying close • 
to boiling fountains, — a system of hot and cold water baths which 



NATURES CHEMICAL WORKS. 281 

the Maoris readily adapt to use, by leading a small conduit from 
each to a rudely constructed tank, in which they can regulate the 
temperature by turning on the hot or cold stream. Some of the 
ordinary bathing pools, which are not thus artificially cooled, are so 
responsive to the influence of the north and east winds, that while 
these blow the temperature rises from 100° to 190°, and bathing 
becomes impossible till the wind changes. Very often the wind 
blows from the north-east every morning for weeks together, and 
dies away at sunset, when the water (which at noon had reached 
boiling-point) gradually becomes comparatively cool. 

The natives consider these luxurious baths to be a certain cure 
for all manner of ills. And so they doubtless are ; but, as each 
pool differs from all its neighbours in its chemical combinations, 
it follows that bathing here at random must be about as unsafe, 
though decidedly not so unpleasant, as tasting all the contents of a 
chemist's shop by turns. Eut a certain number of the pools have 
been so long tried by the Maoris that their beneficial results are 
well proven ; and many sufferers, chiefly those afflicted with rheu- 
matism, are carried up here totally helpless, and in most instances 
derive immense benefit from drinking and bathing in these mineral 
waters. 

Of the many thousand hot and cold springs which bubble around 
us in every direction, a limited number only have as yet been 
analysed, but these prove that the various chemical combinations 
are practically without number, no two pools being alike. Ail the 
mineral waters of Europe seem to be here represented — Harrogate 
and Leamington, Kreutznach and Wiesbaden, and many another — 
so that doubtless ere long this district will become a vast sana- 
torium, to which sufferers from all manner of diseases will be sent 
to nature's own dispensary to find the healing waters suited to their 
need. There are mud-baths, containing sulphate of potash, soda, 
lime, alumina, iron, magnesia, hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, 
sulphuretted hydrogen, silica, and iodine. Other springs contain 
monosilicate of lime, of iron, manganese, chloride of potassium, of 
sodium, sulphate of soda and of lime, silica, phosphate of alumina, 
magnesia, chloride of potassium, oxide of iron, and various other 
chemical substances. I believe that carbonic acid has not been 
found; but small quantities of lithium, iodine, and bromine are 
present in almost every instance. In some cases iodine is found in 
considerable quantities, notably in those springs to which the Maoris 
chiefly resort for the cure of skin diseases. 1 

1 Here is the analysis of a famous sulphur-bath at Sulphur Point, about a mile 



282 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

All the ordinary cares of housekeeping are here greatly facilitated 
"by nature. She provides so many cooking-pots that fires are need- 
less — all stewing and boiling does itself to perfection. The food is 
either placed in a flax basket, and hung in the nearest pool, or else 
it is laid in a shallow hole and covered with layers of fern and 
earth to keep in the steam. In either case the result is excellent, 
and the cookery clean and simple. Laundry-work is made equally 
easy. Certain pools are set aside in which to boil clothes ; and one 
of these, which is called Kairua, is the village laundry par excellence. 
Its waters are alkaline, and produce a cleansing lather ; and they 
are so soft and warm that washing is merely a pleasant pastime to 
the laughing Maori girls. No soap is required. Mother Nature has 
provided all that is needful : sulphate of soda, chloride of potassium 
and of sodium, enter largely into her preparations for washing-day. 

My good landlady has had a bitter grief connected with her 
laundry-pool. About two months ago her youngest child toddled 
down the garden and fell in, and was so terribly scalded that it 
died immediately. I have heard several other cases of grown-up 
people and horses falling into boiling caldrons, but it seems to me 
marvellous that such accidents do not happen daily, so vague are 
the little paths, and so numerous the dangers. 

Even the narrow neck of greensward where the dead are laid in 
their last sleep is all steaming, and boiling springs bubble round 
the graves. We paused beside the grassy mound which marks 
where the little child was laid. There are no headstones to tell 
who lie there, but the place is marked by great wooden posts, with 
rudely carved heads, which at one time formed part of a noted pah, 
the greater part of which, however, has subsided beneath the lake. 
Only a few very fine pieces of quaint, grotesque, old Maori carving 
lie about the place, rotting on the ground ; and none dare carry 
them away, for their ownership is disputed, and the place is tapu. 

The walls of the native council-house are entirely covered with 
this grotesque carving — hideous figures, with faces much tattooed, 
and oblique eyes of the Mongol type, formed of iridescent pearl- 
shell , but this is all modern work, and less elaborate than that of 
olden days, when time was not so marketable, and skilled labour 
more abundant. 

from Ohinemutu. The cures it has effected are so wonderful and undoubted that it 
is generally known as The Painkiller. 

Analysis.— Sulphate of potash, 2 9i; of soda, 34.37; chloride of sodium, 59.16; 
of calcium, 3.33 ; of magnesia, 1.27; of iron, 0.25; silica, 16.09; hydrochloric acid, 
7.60 ; sulphuietted hydrogen, 2.01 j traces of phosphate of alumina, lithium, and 
iodine ;— total. 127.04. 



THE TALE OF HINEMOA. 283 

But I think the true village councils are held in the open air, 
where the favourite lounge is an open space rudely paved with largo 
stones, which, by imprisoning the steam from some of the boiling 
springs, become pleasantly heated ; and here the grave fathers of 
the hamlet love to recline, wrapped in their blankets or flax cloaks. 
Of course it is still more luxurious to sit up to your neck in a hot 
mud-bath, but it would not do to stay there all day. Some people 
prefer sulphur-baths, and these they can have to their hearts' con- 
tent within a short distance, as there are real sulphur-pools giving 
forth the most horrible fumes : and the ground all round is prim- 
rose-hued, being thickly incrusted with pure sulphur. 

But I believe that sulphur is found more abundantly at Tiritere, 
on the shores of Rotoiti, a beautiful lake, only separated from 
Botorua by an isthmus half a mile in breadth, and likewise sur- 
rounded by chemical springs and bubbling mud-pools. 

Each of the little hotels has its own natural hot baths, in which 
it is the height of luxury and repose to lie for an hour or so 
at night after a hard day's scramble. But, as I before said, the 
Maoris have no idea of such solitary enjoyment. To them bathing 
is a social delight, to be indulged in at all times and seasons, 
especially in the evenings, when young men and maidens, old men 
and children, assemble in the lake, which is pleasantly warmed by 
many hot springs. Certain pools are the special playgrounds of 
the children, and it is a most amusing sight to see these brown 
water-babies disporting themselves by the hour. They swim like 
fishes, as do also their elders, an accomplishment inherited from 
their beautiful ancestress, the lovely Hinemoa. She was the 
daughter of a grand old chief, whose tribe lived near the shores 
of this lake, and who would not suffer her to marry her heart's 
choice, whose name was Tutenekai, and who lived on the island of 
Mokoia, in the middle of Lake Botorua. They drew up all the 
canoes lest she should be tempted to go to him ; and as the island 
is nearly four miles distant, they never dreamt that she would 
attempt to swim. But love triumphed. One night the sound of 
his lute came floating over the lake, and, determined not to be 
baffled, she took six hollow gourds and fastened them to her 
shoulders, three on each side. Then she fearlessly plunged into 
the dark waters, and swam till she was exhausted. Buoyed up 
by the gourds, she lay still and rested a while, then with renewed 
strength she swam onward, guided by the sound of the lute, and 
at last landed in safety. But having left her robe on the main- 
land, she shrank from appearing before her lover in the garb of 



284 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

Eve, so she hid herself in a warm spring, and there after a while 
he found her, and wrapped his cloak around her, and took her to 
Lis home, where she became his wife, and the mother of children 
leautiful as herself. And to this day her descendants are noted 
for their comeliness and for their clear olive complexion ; and they 
love to tell the tale of how Hinemoa swam across the lake in the 
dark inoonless night. On the Horo Horo ranges, on the road to 
Taupo, they point out a tall rock which bears her name. 

This island of Mokoia was formerly strongly fortified, and was 
the scene of bloody fights between the Arawa and ISTgapuhi tribes. 
Here, for greater security, the Arawas kept the symbol of their 
worship, which was merely a lock of human hair, twined round a 
rope of paper mulberry bark. It was treated with deepest rever- 
ence, and kept in a house of most sacred wood, thatched with 
Manga Manga, a lovely climbing fern, similar to the Wa kolou, 
or god fern, with which the Fijians used to adorn the ridge-pole 
of their temples. Both Maoris and Fijians are remarkable for an 
almost total absence of any outward and visible representation of 
the gods whom they worshipped, so this curious symbol possessed 
especial interest. The sacred lock of hair came to grief in a.d. 
1818, when the pah was captured by the , ^gapuhi tribe, and the 
god of the conquered was ignominiously tomahawked. 

I am now in the heart of a tract of marvellous volcanic country 
which extends from the great Lake Taupo to the sea-coast, and 
reappears at Whakari or White Island, about twenty-eight miles 
from the land, thus forming a volcanic chain extending over 150 
miles. "White Island, which is only about three miles in circum- 
ference, is itself an active volcano, and though the crater is not 
more than 860 feet above the sea- level, it sends forth volumes of 
steam, which in calm weather are estimated to rise to a height of 
2000 feet. Smaller geysers and hot sulphureous lakes cluster 
round this centre; and although some scrubby vegetation has 
sprung up, no living creature is here found. 

As seen from the sea, the shores of the island are apparently 
rich green meadows, but on nearer inspection these prove to be 
composed of pure crystallised sulphur : and the whole land is so 
heated that it is scarcely possible to walk over it I have seen 
some beautiful specimens of sulphur which had been brought from 
there, resembling lumps of primrose-coloured rock. 

At the farther end of the volcanic chain lies the great Lake 
Taupo, which is about twenty by thirty wiles in extent, and 
beyond which rises the sacred mountain Tongariro, an active vol- 



A VOLCANIC REGION. 285 

cano, vomiting fire and smoke from the cinder-cone, which rises 
dark and bare from a base of perpetual snow. Its height is G500 
feet, but it is overtopped by Kuapehu, the highest point in the 
island, one of its three snowy peaks rising to upwards of 9000 
feet. 

Geologists suppose the bed of Lake Taupo to have been one vast 
crater ; and it seems probable that it has some subterranean outlet, 
from the fact that the lake receives a much larger supply of water 
than that which it discharges by the Waikato river, which flows 
through it. The Maoris dare not approach the sacred isle in the 
centre of the lake for fear of an evil dragon which dwells there, 
and swallows every rash canoe that presumes to draw near, — a 
legend from which some infer that there really is a whirlpool there, 
caused by the rush of water down the old chimney of the crater. 
A great part of the lake is hemmed in by basaltic cliffs, rising sheer 
from the water about 700 feet, and quite inaccessible. Over these 
dash "mountain torrents, which fall in silvery spray. The lake is 
ofttimes swept by sudden storms, and its angry waters make a 
gloomy foreground to the grand mountains beyond. 

The country between Mount Tongariro and Lake Taupo is all 
intensely volcanic; and the dark -green scrub which clothes the 
hills is dotted by columns and wreaths of steam, rising from thou- 
sands of boiling springs — those in the neighbourhood of the 
"Waikato river falling over its rocky banks in seething cataracts, 
and depositing in their course a bed of white stalagmite, which 
adds greatly to their apparent size. At certain seasons these 
geysers are more active than at others. There is one which has 
been said to eject water with such violence as to swamp canoes at 
a distance of 100 yards ; and another, the steam of which is visible 
at a distance of fifteen miles. 

Below the lake, on the Waikato river, is the Tewakaturou geyser, 
which used to throw water right across the river — 130 yards — but 
is now nearly quiescent, and only gives a sobbing gasp and spout 
every few minutes, throwing up a splash of scalding water, as if it 
would drive away the ruthless thief who tries to steal " specimens " 
of its work. The geysers thereabouts are so numerous that from 
some points you can count from sixty to eighty columns of steam 
in sight at one moment; and at the point where the Waikato 
enters the lake there are upwards of 500 pools, either of boiling 
mud or boiling water ; while the neighbouring mountain of Kaka- 
ramea seems to have been so thoroughly steamed as to be little 
more than a soft mass of half-boiled mud, with scalding water and 



286 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

steam issuing from every crevice. A tribe of Maoris weu ones 
rash enough to build a village near here, but it -was overwhelmed 
by an avalanche of mud, and ail the inhabitants perished. 

There is a Maori settlement in the midst of a very wonderful 
group of springs and terraces at Orakei-Korako, on the Waikato 
river, and the little brown huts are actually built on the mounds 
of white silica, with apparently no thought of danger. Chemical 
deposits of all sorts have stained the earth and rocks with every 
conceivable hue — copperas -green, ferruginous orange, the delicate 
primrose of sulphur, and every shade of salmon and pale rose 
colour, deepening to dark red, appear in marked contrast with the 
dazzling white silica and the dark-green scrub. Both the river- 
bank and the terraces are fringed with deep stalactites, streaked 
with these varied hues. 

Near this point there is a fairy -like alum-cave. The entrance is 
veiled by tall silver tree-ferns, growing in rank profusion ; and the 
red walls of the cave are incrusted with pure white alum, deposited 
from a pool of the loveliest light-blue warm water. This place is 
about forty miles from Ohinemutu and thirty from the village of 
Taupo, which stands on the shore of the lake. 

Taupo is quite a large settlement, and possesses two hotels, a 
post-office, and even a telegraph. About two miles off lie a group 
of springs, which it is intended to treat as a sanatorium. They are 
Government property, and the land around them is fertile, and is 
laid out in gardens and grass fields. A picturesque blue river flows 
near, between steep crags, finely wooded : the descriptions of the 
spot are most attractive. One very singular boiling pool is known" 
as the Witches' Caldron. It lies in a circular hollow in the river- 
bank, about thirty feet above the stream. The water is pure blue, 
but every shade of orange, brown, green, and red appear on the 
rocks around it. Heavy clouds of steam are constantly thrown up 
with a roaring noise. 

It matters little in what direction you travel in this weird region, 
fresh wonders reveal themselves on every hand. If, instead of 
taking the coach -road to Lake Taupo, you prefer riding there, you 
may follow a bridle-path along the Paeroa valley at the foot of a 
range of boiling mountains. Literally the whole Paeroa range is 
a boiling mass of chemicals, so thinly crusted over, that the most 
foolhardy adventurer dare not attempt to climb it, for even what 
to the eye appears solid ground, is all crumbling and brittle as pie- 
crust, from the constant action of internal steam, and all manner of 
gases. Sulphuric acid, sulphur and sulphuretted hydrogen, rise in 



MAORIS AKD FIJIANS. 287 

intermittent clouds from the whole surface of the range, which, from 
base to summit, is covered with patches of yellow, grey, white, and 
red, which tell of solfataras and fumaroles, mud-pools and sulphur- 
banks. Some of the boiling springs take these colours, and the 
water of one is bright yellow, while the next is clear green. Many 
are fringed with purely tropical ferns, but the ordinary vegetation 
of a New Zealand bush contrives to flourish on the lower slopes of 
the range, and even fringes the Waikato river, which is quite hot. 

There is a road all the way from Tauranga to Lake Taupo, and 
thence to Napier, with coaches running weekly ; and I regret more 
than I can express, not having allowed myself time to make this 
expedition, and to see all this marvellous region thoroughly. I could 
easily have left Kawau a little sooner had I realised the amazing 
interest that awaited me here — as it is, I dare not linger, for those 
aggravating Pacific mail-steamers vow that they will call at Fiji 
next month, positively for the last time. They have kept us thus 
on tenter-hooks for a year — never knowing from one mail to the 
next whether our letters would be dropped or not. About five 
months ago, when Mr Gordon had been sent here on sick-leave he 
hurried back much too soon, in order to catch the very last chance. 
You know how, three months ago, we came to Khandavu, scarcely 
venturing to hope the big steamer would call, and now we are told 
that if we choose to be ready to return by next mail we shall be 
dropped at Khandavu. How we are to get from there to Levuka 
will be the next question, as it is a long day's steam, and now poor 
little Fiji possesses no steamer of any sort or kind ! She cannot 
afford even to hire the little steamer which she had when we came 
away. 

So, much as we shall regret leaving New Zealand so hurriedly, 
we dare not lose this opportunity, as the option of going all the 
way to Sydney, on the chance of a steamer from there to Levuka, 
is not tempting. Therefore I must be satisfied with seeing the 
chief objects of interest in the neighbourhood of Rotomahana, " the 
hot lake," round which are concentrated wonders of every description. 

I do not know what link exists between the Maoris and the 
Fijians, but some of the words in common use sound to me strongly 
akin. For instance, the name of the river which receives the hot 
springs is Waikato. In Fiji, boiling water is kata kata na wai — 
surely the two are identical'? The ovens in which food is cooked 
are just the same as Fijian ovens, except that when the fire has 
been kindled, and the stones heated, a wet mat is laid over the red- 
hot stones, and over that a layer of green fern ; then comes the food, 



288 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

and next another layer of fern, over which water is thrown, and 
the whole is quickly covered up with earth to prevent the steam 
from escaping. I must say our Fijians are immensely superior to 
these people in the matter of house-building. The Maori wharries 
are wretched dirty little hovels, from which every breath of air is 
carefully excluded : being built actually on the ground, they are 
necessarily damp, and, in a rainy season, must be swamped, as there 
seems no attempt at drainage. They contrast very unfavourably 
with the clean comfortable Fijian houses, built on well-raised foun- 
dations, in which we have lived so happily. I think that to have 
to claim a night's shelter in a Maori wharry would be quite as un- 
inviting as to be driven to accept the hospitality of a very poor 
Highland bothy. 

The people are alike in their love of smoking. Here men, 
women, and children smoke incessantly. They grow their own 
tobacco, and carve their own pipes from a sort of white stone found 
in this neighbourhood. I am glad the Fijians are content with the 
little cigarettes, which the girls twist up in bits of banana-ieaf. 

I am to start for Rotomahana to-morrow morning, and return 
here just in time to catch the steamer at Tauranga. I hear there 
are some very curious sulphur-springs, white cones, and mud-baths 
at a place called Whaka-rewa-rewa, about three miles from here, so 
I am just going off to see them. I have borrowed an execrable 
side-saddle from a Maori girl, having left my own at Tauranga, and 
have hired a horse for the. afternoon. Sissie Wilson, daughter of 
my landlady, is going with me — she rides a man's saddle. I am 
told that in January and February the principal geyser at this 
place throws up a column of water from forty to fifty feet high at 
intervals of eight minutes, but I fear it will probably be as sleepy 
as the great geyser here, which is sometimes very active, but is now 
at rest. Many of these fountains are intermittent. Sometimes 
groups play alternately, at other times periodically, at intervals o: 
so many minutes. These geysers seem to be strangely influenced 
by atmospheric changes. Captain Mair, whose headquarters are a 
Ohinemutu, has made careful observations of these phenomena. 
He says the geysers at Whaka-rewa-rewa are most active when the 
wind blows from the west or south-west, when they frequently 
throw up a fountain fifty or sixty feet high. From 7 to 9 a.m 
and from 3 to 4 p.m. are their working hours, while the noontide is 
almost invariably a time of rest. There is one geyser known as 
the Bashful Geyser (Whakaha-rua) because it only begins to play 
after dark 






WHAKA-REWA-REWA. 289 

10 p.m. — It is something to be able to say that I have returned 
here safely, for, indeed, exploring such a country as this is "no 
canny." Certainly, I thought to-day that we were nearing the 
infernal regions. This morning I thought the springs here were 
fearful and wonderful, but they are nothing uempared with those 
we have seen this afternoon. The great fountain refused to play, 
but I was fascinated by the white marble-like cones from which it 
and its smaller neighbours spout. They are like frozen snowdrifts, 
or heaps of gigantic wedding-cakes, from ten to twenty feet in 
height, with a thick coating of iced sugar. This is caused by the 
white silica, which is constantly deposited by the falling waters, 
rising from a funnel in the centre. To-day the geyser was so quiet 
that we were able to peer down into its depths, and could hear the 
water bubbling and boiling far below ; but such prying is at all 
times rash, for at any moment a column of scalding water may 
shoot far overhead, and give one a shower-bath not to be quickly 
forgotten. 

These silvery cones seemed to be veined with gold, for each tiny 
air-tube and fissure is incrusted with sparkling crystals of sulphur, 
very tempting to touch, but hazardous — as the invisible steam 
rushing through them is more scalding than that from any larger 
surface. In the midst of the gleaming white cones there is one 
which is pure yellow, being altogether composed of sulphur, though 
a thin treacherous crust of black mud has partly overspread it, 
luring the unwary to step on to v-iry dangerous ground, which is 
apt at any moment to give way. The most remarkable of these 
cones and basins are clustered round, and on, a little hill, and I soon 
scrambled to a higher level, to sketch the whole group, in spite of 
the remonstrance of a picturesque Maori, who seemed to have some 
dim idea that he could exact payment for allowing me this privi- 
lege. He was accompanied by a little girl, with a tiny toddling 
brother, the latter hugging a kitten in his small arms. It is a 
strange home in which to rear a family, but all seem strong and 
healthy. They live in a little wharry close by, where they offer 
mineral specimens and petrifactions for sale. 

All along the Puaranga creek there are literally hundreds of 
geysers, solfataras, and boiling mud-pools, varying as much in tem- 
perature as in chemical properties. In two basins lying close to- 
gether the thermometer registers respectively 185° and 55° Fahr.; 
and the colour of the water is equally diversified, varying from 
emerald green or the clearest turquoise blue, to delicate rose or 
bright yellow, according to the character of the decomposed rock 

T 



290 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

which chances to find itself in the great subterranean boiler. Some 
of the jets hiss and roar with deafening, bewildering noise ; and, 
as the pools of black boiling mud gurgle and bubble, a feeling of 
creeping dread conies over one lest the ground should give way, or 
one's foot slip, and so one should be engulfed in a grave of such 
unspeakable horror. 

I passed on from one new marvel to another, grieving to leave 
any corner unexplored, not knowing what strange beauties might 
lie hidden by each dark clump of bush ; and yet fully warned that 
every step off the beaten track was fraught with real danger. But 
not till sunset could I turn away from scenes so fascinating — and 
then, oh dear ! how hateful was the ride home on the Maori child's 
saddle ! I wished I had had courage to try riding like my com- 
panion. However, once here, a blessed remedy awaited me in the 
delicious natural hot bath, in which I have lain for the last hour, 
and forgotten all my aches and bruises, and now need only a good 
night's rest to be quite ready for to-morrow's journey in search of 
scenes still more wonderful 



CHAPTER XXY. 

BEWILDERING NEW SURROUNDINGS — THE MAORI DRAGON — BREAKFAST AT 
WAIROA — THE MISSION-HOUSE — THE HOT LAKE — WHITE TERRACES — 
SULPHUR AND MUD VOLCANOES — AN UNJUST CLAIM RESISTED — CHAM- 
PIONS FROM THE ANTIPODES. 

In a tiny Tent near the White Terraces, 
Rotomahana, Tuesday Night, April 3, 1877. 

Now indeed I have found a land of wonders, such as, I fancy, 
has no equal, unless perhaps in the volcanic region of Hawaii, 
which, from all descriptions, must stand pre-eminent. 1 But all that 

1 Since the above was written I have spent two months in the Hawaiian Isles, and 
have lived a never-to-be-forgotten week on the very brink of the great active crater. 
I consider that it is wellnigh impossible to compare the two scenes, and that in 
order to obtain a just idea of volcanic iorces it is highly desirable to visit both— 
that is to say, such an active volcano as that on Hawaii, and such groups of geysers 
and solfataras as those of New Zealand. In the former, nature admits you, as it 
were, to her mighty arsenal, and suffers you to stand and gaze while she is in the 
very act of forging the strong ribs of the earth. There she shows you sometimes t 
vast lake of molten fire — liquid lava — sometimes dancing fire-fountains — sometimes 
all beauty, at others all awe ; blackness of darkness, sulphureous fumes, fearful 
intonations; sometimes a column of fire shooting heavenwards, and falling to 



VOLCANOES AND GEYSERS. 291 

I have seen here is truly amazing, and much as I had heard of it, 
the reality far surpasses my expectations. It is heaven and hell in 
alternate glimpses, so marvellous are some beauties, so dread the 
horrors. 

I can hardly persuade myself that it is only four days since I 
left Tauranga, so infinitely varied are all the new impressions which 
hour by hour have crowded upon me. I seem to have lived in a 
bewildering maze of steam and steam-power gone mad — columns of 
steam puffing up from every bush, steam roaring as though all the 
engines in Europe Avere bellowing and snorting simultaneously, or 
steam rising in quiet mists and Avreaths as it is now doing even in 
this tiny tent which the Maoris pitched for us on what they knew 
to be one of the very few safe spots. Yet even here the steam is 
rising through the ground ; the sheet of American cloth, which I 
laid beneath my blanket, is wrinkled like the hands of a washer- 
woman, though our tent is floored with thick layers of fern and 
manukau, and the paper on which I am writing is quite damp, as ia 
all my drawing-paper. 

We have stood by to watch volcanoes being created, and then as 
quickly destroyed — volcanoes of mud and volcanoes of sulphur; 
we have watched geysers of every sort, active and quiescent, play- 
ing in green pools and in blue pools ; and, above all, we have 
walked up and down, all over the wondrous marble stairways, till 
their loveliness has become a familiar thing; and oh, wonderful 
new sensation ! new possibility in luxury ! we have bathed in those 
perfect marble baths, selecting from among a thousand, the very 
pool of the exact temperature and depth that seemed most pleasant, 
and therein have lain rejoicing like true Maoris, till we ourselves 
were coated with a thin film of silica from the flinty water, so that 
we feel like satin, a delight to ourselves. 

It is so strange to look out from this little tent and see clouds 
of white steam continually curling up from the thicket of dark 
manukau scrub which lies between us and the blue lake, on the 
other side of which rise more dark hills, and another flight of ter- 
races, not quite so large as these white ones, near which our tent is 
pitched, but in some respects even more beautiful. They are called 

earth to pour down the mountain-side in overwhelming streams of fluid fire. Her 
finished works, too, the varied lava-beds, whether smooth or contorted, are unlike 
any other scenes in creation. 

But nowhere on Hawaii have I seen or heard of anything in the slightest degree 
resembling the strange and beautiful objects to be seen in the volcanic region o? 
New Zealand — which, like that of the Yellowstone in America, seems to be nature'y 
laboratory, where chemical experiments of all sorts are being tried on a giganti" 
scale, producing things of beauty in infinite variety. 



292 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

tlie pink terraces, but are really of a pale salmon colour. You can- 
not think how lovely they are by moonlight ! At the base of these 
pink terraces there is a great sulphur-volcano, which tinges all the 
land and water near it of a clear lemon colour. And from all the 
dark hills on every side rise columns of white steam, telling us how 
thin is the crust which divides us from the wonderful laboratory 
down below. Everything is so new and strange that I hardly know 
what to tell you first. Perhaps I had better begin in detail from 
the beginning. 

I left Ohinemutu at 6 a.m. on Monday morning, and a coach-and- 
four brought me fourteen miles over a road (if I may so call it) like 
the bed of the wildest mountain torrent. How any springs in the 
world can stand it I cannot imagine. We passed Lakes Tikitapa, 
Eoto Eua, and Eoto Kahahi (the blue lake and the lake of shells). 

Lake Tikitapa, which is overshadowed by steep wooded hills, is 
the scene of an old Maori legend, which tells how Tu-whare-toa, the 
St George of ISTew Zealand, here did battle with Taniwha, the great 
dragon, which he conquered, but did not slay, only stipulating that 
it should thenceforth live quietly at the bottom of the lake. So 
now the only sign of life it gives is occasionally to trouble the dead 
calm of the deep blue waters, which rise in crested waves ; and 
strangers think that this is the work of the mountain breeze, but 
the Maoris know that Taniwha is turning over restlessly, weary of 
his long captivity. 

We reached Wairoa in time to breakfast at a comfortable well- 
kept little hotel, the present landlord of which is an Irish gentleman 
of good family — son of a general in her Majesty's army. I sat at 
breakfast beside a private of the armed constabulary, in whom I 
recognised a member of one of the best old families in Suffolk. 
But having already found my coachman of the morning to be an 
agreeable and well-informed Oxford man, the son of an English 
vicar, who, like many another gentleman out here, has had his share 
of life's ups and downs, I began to realise that I have reached a 
new world, in which every man must sink or swim on his own 
merits, or his own luck, as the case may be, but wholly irrespective 
of that of his forefathers. 

In the village of Wairoa a deserted church and school still 
stand to tell of the zeal of the early converts, whose Christianity 
proved as evanescent as the morning dew. At the outbreak of the 
war, they hanged one of their pastors, Mr Volkner ; and the resi- 
dent clergyman had to fly for his life. 

Once more I have had the good fortune to find myself in the 



DISPUTE SETTLED BY DRAWING LOTS. 293 

position of friend's friend, for I had scarcely finished breakfast 
when Mr Way (to whom Mr Edgecumbe had written about me) 
came to escort me to his pretty home, the pleasant old mission 
station, now, alas ! no longer used in its former capacity, but still 
held by a member of the family. For Mrs Way was a daughter 
of the house, born and bred here, loving both place and people, 
and marking with bitter pain the change that has crept over them 
since evil white influence has worked as a poisonous leaven to 
overthrow all the good that Christian teachers had so patiently 
striven to instil, with apparently such good result. 

Greatly to my delight, Mrs Way volunteered to accompany me 
to the lakes, and to take with her a small tent, in which we might 
sleep for two or three nights. She herself speaks Maori like a 
native ; and she has brought with her a dear old Maori nurse, who 
has been with her from her childhood, and who does our cooking. 
She also took a share in paddling our canoe. 

Great was the noise and hubbub which arose when the Maoris 
learned that we purposed going in a different canoe to that which 
they had already determined on sending. ]STo other travellers had 
arrived that morning, and so the whole village was contending for 
the fleecing of this one lamb. Horrible was the din which ensued. 
A happy thought at length struck Mrs Way. She determined to 
draw lots who should accompany us, and the novelty of the pro- 
ceeding at once restored amity, and a pleasant set of cheery good- 
natured lads fell to our lot. They were all delighted with fate's 
decision, though well aware that my companion would allow no 
rum in her canoe. The rum is an objectionable feature, which is 
insisted on as an extra in all canoes engaged at the hotel, and 
which does not tend to improve the efficiency of the crew. The 
Maoris of the district have been so thoroughly spoilt by the Eng- 
lish, that they are now rapacious to a degree, and well it is for me 
that I have Mrs Way to protect me. I was much amused to hear 
the Maoris all address her by her Christian name — the natural 
result of having all grown up together since childhood. 

The canoes are of the rudest description — merely a tree hol- 
lowed out — and, not being balanced by any outrigger, they are 
peculiarly liable to overturn on the shortest notice. The large 
canoes carry fourteen or fifteen persons sitting single file — two 
paddles for each passenger. We had a row of about eight miles 
across Lake Tarawara, a very beautiful lake at the foot of a moun- 
tain of the same name — a truncated cone of bare rock 2000 feet 
high, and so singularly symmetrical that it needs small imagination 



294 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

to behold in it the form of a vast tumulus ; for it is the place of 
burial of the Arawa tribe, and is held so sacred that no traveller is 
allowed to set foot on it : the Maoris themselves consider it strictly 
tapu. 

The lake is about five miles wide by seven in length. Its rocky 
shores are fringed with fine old trees, and the whole scenery is 
delightful. We passed close by a rock where custom demands 
that tribute be paid to the Atua or guardian spirit of the lake, to 
insure fair weather. It is an easily pleased spirit, for our offerings 
were only scraps of our luncheon; nevertheless, the weather has 
continued perfect — no trifling matter on such an expedition as this. 

At the further side we ascended a creek with rapids, where we 
found the water quite warm ; and in a few minutes we reached 
the hot lake, which lies about 900 feet above the level of the sea. 
I am told that many people say that their first feeling on arriving 
here is one of grievous disappointment. This, I confess, is to me 
incomprehensible, for though the general scenery round Rotoma- 
hana is not specially striking, it is certainly not ugly ; and though 
the surrounding hills are only clothed with dark scrubby vegeta- 
tion, they are relieved by countless wreaths of white vapour, mark- 
ing the site of innumerable boiling springs and terraces, and 
suggesting the points of infinite interest, which lie hidden on 
every side. 

The lake itself is very small — not a mile long, and less than 
half that width; and though it appears blue enough when seen 
from the land, its waters are turbid and greenish, and no fish or 
other creatures live in it, as you can well imagine, the boiling 
springs being as active below its surface as on its shores. But an 
immense number of wild-fowl of many sorts breed here, and are 
jealously preserved by the Maoris, who during the breeding season 
will not allow a canoe to pass up the creek, and under no circum- 
stances will suffer a gun to be fired here. They do not, however, 
object to snaring, and the wild duck are so numerous that they 
are easily captured. Oyster- catchers also abound, as do also the 
Pukeho, a large and very handsome blue bird with scarlet head 
and feet. 

On entering the lake, we found ourselves at the foot of the 
white marble terraces, which the Maoris call Te Tarata. I confess 
I quite despair of being able, by any words, to give you such a 
description as will enable you to form a true idea of their dream- 
like beauty. They are in nature what the Taj Mahal at Agra is in 
architecture, — a thing indescribable — a fairy city of lace carved in 



THE WHITE * TERRACES. 295 

pure marble, — a thousand waterfalls suddenly frozen and fringed 
•with icicles. Perhaps you will best picture it to yourself as a 
steep hillside, artificially terraced so as to form hundreds of tiny 
fields — flooded rice-fields, such as we see in mountainous parts of 
India, and elsewhere ; but the stone-work enclosing and sustaining 
each little lake is of white marble, fringed with stalactites resem- 
bling the most creamy-white coral, which, if it escapes the barbarous 
hands o:' tourists, should grow more beautiful year by year, as the 
ever-trickling water drips over it. So rapid is the deposit, that 
fern-leaves and sticks which drop into the water are in a few days 
so thickly incrusted, that they look as if they had been crystallised 
by a confectioner ; and sometimes a dead bird falls in, and is ap- 
parently petrified while its flesh is still quite fresh. 

So there are feathers and ferns enough to supply travellers with 
harmless mementoes, if only they would be content with these ; 
but I regret to say that the method of proving the rapidity of this 
deposit which finds most favour with the snobs of all nations, is 
that of writing their names in pencil on the smooth porcelain sur- 
face, where, within a few hours, it is rendered indelible by a thin 
transparent coating of silica. One crime against good taste leads 
to another ; and some ugly scars on the fair white surface show 
where curiosity hunters have taken the trouble to cut out and 
appropriate certain names of note. 

To our shame be it spoken, this practice has called forth a grave 
rebuke from the Maoris, who have had a notice printed, in English, 
imploring visitors to abstain from defacing the beautiful terraces, 
either by writing their names or by breaking off stalactites, the 
slow deposit of ages. 

The total height of the white terraces is only about 150 feet, 
and the width at the base about 300 feet; but the amount of 
beauty of detail crowded into this space defies description. While 
some of the terraces are so deep and bold as to suggest marble 
battlements of fairy citadels, others resemble gigantic clam-shells, 
filled to the brim with the most exquisite blue water, sometimes 
tinged with violet, which, as it drips from the lip of the shell, 
forms a deep fringe of the loveliest stalactites, generally pure white, 
but sometimes tinged with other colours. Each great shell-like 
bath partly overhangs the one below it, so that in some the bather 
can find shelter from the sun beneath this wonderful canopy with 
its dripping gems. All the lovely forms of frost crystals are here 
produced in enduring material, which alternately suggests rare 
mosses and fine lacework, all alike carved in white alabaster. 



296 AT HOME Ds T FIJI. 

The source of all this beauty is a large boiling pool, situated 
about 150 feet above the lake. It is about 30 feet in diameter, 
and lies in a crater of about 260 feet in circumference, enclosing 
it on three sides with steep reddish cliffs, while on the fourth side, 
whence the marble terraces descend to the lake, there is a rocky 
island about 12 feet high, which seems to suggest that the walls 
of the crater may once have formed a complete circle, and have 
gradually been decomposed by the action of steam. By watching 
the ebb and flow of the boiling waves, it is generally possible to 
reach this island and look into the water-crater. Here, from un- 
fathomable depths, wells a fountain of the most exquisite turquoise 
blue, and through the crystalline waters you discern the coral-like 
border which fringes both the inner and outer lip of the great 
porcelain basin which lines the crater. 

When the wind blows from the south, the water sinks far down 
into the depths of the crater, and then, instead of the ordinary 
cream colour, the dazzling whiteness of the basin, and of the whole 
series of terraces, is like that of driven snow. At such times you 
can look right down the funnel, which measures about eight feet 
across : its sides are smooth, and as perpendicular as the shaft of 
a well. But such a sight cannot be obtained without risk; for 
occasionally, without a moment's notice, a vast column of water 
shoots far into the air, with a tremendous explosion, and the whole 
stairway becomes the bed of one wide waterfall. Generally, how- 
ever, it is pretty safe to venture while the wind is southerly. But 
so soon as it changes, the water rises at the rate of three or four 
feet in an hour, heaving and roaring as it does so, till at length it 
shoots heavenward in a dazzling column sixty feet high and above 
twenty in diameter, and descends in blue ripples which overflow 
the terraces. The ordinary condition of the pool is tolerably 
equable, and only a slight upheaval of the centre, like that of a 
boiling, bubbling pot, marks it as a geyser. Its temperature is 
about 210° Fahr. ; but the water gradually cools in its descent, 
and the basins near the level of the lake are comparatively cool. 
So this wonderful series of shell-shaped baths are not only of all 
sizes and depths, but also of every shade of temperature ; and the 
height of luxury in bathing is to revel in each by turn, increasing 
in warmth as you approach the summit, or decreasing as you de- 
scend towards the lake. 

Half the charm of these natural baths consists in the exquisite 
colour of the water, which is a chemical turquoise blue, so vivid 
that it is even reflected on the cloud of white steam which for ever 



THEORY OF FORMATION. 297 

' rises from the crater. The tone of the sky has no influence what- 
| ever in imparting this hue, which never varies, and looks strangely- 
incongruous with a primrose or daffodil sunset, or Avhen, as this 
I morning, the grey clouds were flushed with rose-colour, but not a 
! bit of blue was in the sky. Perhaps I may best describe the col- 
I our as cobalt dissolved in milk, but then it is perfectly transparent, 
and in some pools the water is tinged with amethyst, in others it 
is like liquid opals. I am quite at a loss to account for these 
varied colours, as all the pools are filled from one source, and the 
lovely cream-coloured basins in which the water lies are all formed 
by the continual deposit from the water itself. 

I think the most plausible theory I have heard suggested as to 
the formation of these terraces is, that before the wall of the crater 
gave way, and allowed the imprisoned waters to escape, the hill- 
side was clothed with the same scrub of dark ti tree or manukau 
and fern as covers all the country round ; but as year by year the 
fluid flint flowed over and incrusted it, the whole became the basis 
for the series of pools, irregular in shape, size, and depth as we 
now behold them. You can imagine readily enough how a shrub 
like a gigantic heather-bush, thus bent forward by the pressure 
of water, would eventually become the rim of a very deep pool, in 
which swimmers would find ample room to move, while reeds and 
ferns would form only a shallow basin, — a fit bath for children. 
This theory, too, would account for the lip of some basins being 
smooth, or like a coil of rope carved in marble, while others are in 
just such clusters of stalactite as might be formed were a huge 
manukau bush the foundation on which the deposit was com- 
menced. So delicate and apparently brittle is this nature-carved 
lace-work, that at first I felt compelled to tread lightly so as not to 
injure it; but I soon saw that this caution was needless, so I now 
reserve all my care to avoid stepping unnecessarily into the hot 
pools. I need scarcely tell you that such walking as this makes 
short work of the strongest boots ! 

With the rashness of a " new chum " (which is the colonial term 
to express a very green new arrival), I determined to ascend to the 
red cliff overlooking the crater, much to the disgust of the Maori 
who had taken charge of me, and whose experience had taught 
him a wholesome dread of the thin treacherous crust over which 
we had to climb. Finding his remonstrances were vain, he con- 
tented himself with cutting branches of brushwood with which to 
cover the most doubtful spots on which we had to tread. This 
acted in the same manner as huge Canadian snow-shoes, in diminish- 



298 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

ing the risk of the thin crust of soil giving way beneath onr foot- 
steps. But certainly the peril is greater than I at first realised ; 
for the whole rock is so undermined and disintegrated by the per- 
petual action of subterranean steam, that there is always danger of 
its crumbling away on the slightest pressure. When I rejoined 
Mrs Way, she heard my guide tell his companions that it was now 
their turn to escort the rash white woman, but that he would not 
risk his life again by accompanying her on such expeditions. 

It seems that not long ago a gentleman persisted in thus explor- 
ing, though the Maoris positively refused to follow him. In a very 
few minutes a patch of apparently firm grass gave way, and hi 
sank up to the waist; most fortunately it proved to be only z 
steam-hole. However, it was a sufficient warning, and he was 
happily able to scramble out by himself, and quickly retraced hi 
steps. 

It was difficult to turn away from anything so fascinating as the 
fairy-like white terraces ; but my companion told me of other won- 
ders in store. So she led me by a narrow -path through the low 
gloomy bush, with countless boiling springs bubbling and steam- 
ing on every side of us, — some so veiled by overhanging ferns as 
to be dangerously invisible, while others throw up jets of water 
which at certain seasons attain a height of from thirty to forty feet 
— their steam, of course, rising far higher. One of these forms a 
small, clear, sea-green lake, which it lashes into boiling waves — 
literally boiling — and ceaselessly breaking on the shore in white 
foam. The temperature of the pool is 210° Fahr. 

A few steps farther our path lay along a high ridge of rock, not 
two feet wide, separating two water-craters. In one lies a dark 
indigo- coloured pool, from which rises an upright column of dazz- 
ling white ; while on the other side the water shoots out in a hori- 
zontal jet. Both are intermittent, and they play alternately. The 
colour of the volcanic rocks at that point is wonderful. The most 
vivid metallic gold, chrome yellow, ' green, brown, and red, appear 
mingled as in some strange patchwork, and the whole is traversed 
by myriad golden tubes of crystallised sulphur, through which the 
scalding steam issues in little white puffs. 

The noise of all these roaring fountains was something deafening, 
— vulgarly suggestive of a crowded railway junction, with high- 
pressure engines puffing and blowing on every side. Each moment 
we were enveloped in clouds of steam which hid everything from 
our view ; and in places the fumes of sulphur almost choked us. 
Occasionally there was a pause — a moment of awful silence, fol- 



BOILING MUD. 299 

lowed by a subterranean rumbling of sulphureous gases, and then 
; came a deafening explosion. It was a weird scene, yet so fasci- 
nating in its horror that only the recollection of how much there 
;was still to see urged us onward. 

There are other geysers scattered all over the hill, each having 
| its own Maori name, which is generally descriptive — such as " the 
I sighing fountain," " the quiet pool," " the long water," &c. Some 
I spout three or four times a-day, others at regular intervals of so 
I many minutes. 

I believe there are about twenty-five terraces of the same sort as 
| the one I have described to you — not on so large a scale, but still 
! of some importance ; and besides these there are an immense 
t number of smaller ones in this immediate neighbourhood. Some 
; of the geysers which produce these, occasionally throw up jets to 
the height of from twenty to thirty feet. 

We halted a long time near an intermittent spring, which wa3 
i playing in wild excitement, sometimes from one side of the basin, 
then the other, dashing its boiling waves against the enclosing rock 
walls with a mighty uproar. Sometimes for a few moments it 
seemed weary, and the clear transparent waters lay still and calm ; 
then it uprose more turbulent than before, lashing itself into fury, 
and tossing up jets of solid water to a height of from twenty to 
| thirty feet. Not far from this pool, there is a singular blow-pipe 
on the side of the hill. It is only about a foot in diameter, but 
from it rushes a ceaseless column of steam, working at high-pressure, 
and shrieking like some distressed spirit. 

Still hurrying on through the dark manukau scrub, we next 
found ourselves beside a lake of half-cooled liquid grey mud, dotted 
all over with small mud volcanoes, each a perfect model of Vesu- 
vius. From every cone issued puffs of white steam, shortly followed 
| by a discharge of boiling clay, 'which, trickling down the cone, 
! gradually increased its size. So liquid was the mud, that each 
I miniature volcano was perfectly reflected in the pool. 

On every side of us lay craters in which masses of thick boil- 
| ing mud were being slowly upheaved — rising and falling with a 
I dull muffled gurgle, and finally bursting in one huge bubble. It 
| was a hideous sight, and gave me a more horrible feeling of repul- 
• sion than anything I ever remember. Dante might here have 
i borrowed a new phase of horror for his ' Inferno/ The bare idea, 
i that by the slipping of a foot one might be hopelessly engulfed in 
| so appalling a tomb, was too dreadful, and I confess I turned away 
shuddering. 



300 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

As we crossed a bed of dried-up cracked mud, our footsteps 
echoed as if the ground below was hollow, and it gave me a thrill 
of horror to think where we might land if that thin crust should 
give way ! All the ground hereabouts is just steaming mud, but 
there are diversities in the degrees of horror. One mud-pool differs 
essentially from another. Many of them throw out a greasy clay 
of an ashen grey hue, which the Maoris eat with the greatest 
relish, not merely to appease hunger, but as a delicacy. A greedy 
man will swallow a pound weight of this edible clay immediately 
after a very good meal, and seems none the worse of his peck of 
dirt. Other mud-pools are full of dark slime, almost as black as 
pitch, and very hot : it is these which gurgle and burst in huge 
bubbles. Others, again, throw up enormous lumps of soft black 
mud, which fall back, to be again thrown up, as if the earth-spirits 
were indulging in a grim game at ball. 

Though bewildered by the clouds of steam which encompassed 
us on every side, we still pressed on, but in a few moments were 
brought to a standstill by so deafening a roar that no thunder-crash 
you ever heard could equal it. It proceeded from a deep fissure in 
the rocks, whence rose blinding clouds of steam. We approached 
this Devil's Caldron as near as we dared, not able to hear a word 
either of us uttered ; then, fairly stupefied, we turned away, thank- 
ful for tlie power of flight, and agreeing that we had surely been 
standing at the very mouth of hell. 

Two minutes later we paused beside a perfectly cold calm green 
lake. Its water, though not clear, is green in itself, and, moreover, 
reflects the green scrub and ferns which clothe the encircling hills. 
It is not particularly pretty, but so very calm and peaceful that it 
contrasted wonderfully with the appalling scene of turmoil and 
noise we had just left. 

Evening was now closing in, and it was time to think of supper, 
so retracing our steps past the horrible mud-lake, and threading 
our way cautiously among the craters, where we could hear the 
boiling mud giving great gulps [wallops seems the only descriptive 
word), we emerged from the dark copse, and found ourselves on 
the shore of the lake just as the wonderful sunset tints shed their 
glory on the bare volcanic mountains round us, lending them a 
beauty not their own. 

We found that the Maori lads had pitched our little tent and 
made all ready for the night, and that some previous traveller had 
here built a tiny hut, of which the men took possession as their 
own quarters. Old Mary had cooked our food in a boiling pool 



A MUD-BATH. 301 

close by, using a flax basket (exactly like those you so commonly 
see in England) as her cooking-pot. Presently the lads lighted a 
fire, and formed a picturesque group on the edge of the lake, while 
we sat listening to the mingled sounds of the night, — the rush of 
steam from the larger and more distant springs, the bubbling of 
those close round, and the shrill cries of the wild-fowl. 

It had been a day of new sensations, and full of interest from 
dawn till night. One more new experience remained, on which 
good old Mary strongly insisted — namely, that we should bathe in 
a pool of warm liquid mud. It is an artificially-constructed tank 
on the edge of the lake, to which the Maoris have brought water 
from a boiling spring by a small conduit. The old woman led 
the way cautiously along a path beset with dangers even in broad 
daylight. Finding the bath too hot, she dashed away the sur- 
face water, when we found the lower portion comparatively cool, 
whence we inferred that the water of the sulphureous hot spring 
must be lighter than that of the lake. 

Though not inviting to the eye, we found our mud-bath so 
enjoyable that it was with the utmost reluctance we at length left 
it, and plunged into the cold lake to avoid any fear of chill. It 
was very calm and beautiful in the quiet moonlight. The night 
air was keen, and we were glad of all our warm wraps, though the 
steam which stole up through the ground below us must have 
somewhat warmed the tent. 

The Maoris have the greatest faith in mud-baths ; and there are 
certain p"ooTs^to which they bring their sick from far and near. 
Coming up the creek to Kotomahana, we passed a native house 
built over a pool," in which a sick lad lives permanently. He was 
carried there several months ago, suffering from some aggravated 
hip-disease, and experienced considerable relief from lying in the 
water. But having been left there for some hours he very natu- 
rally fainted on being removed, so his kindred resolved to keep him 
permanently in the water, and there he has lain week after week, 
and will probably remain until he dies. 

At early dawn this morning we started in the canoe in search 
of fresh wonders, leaving the tent and our goods to take care of 
themselves. We took most of our food with us, but the men, 
having implicit trust in the honesty of all Maoris, left a piece of 
mutton, which Mrs Way had given them, to cook itself in a boil- 
ing spring, and on their return they found it had been stolen, con- 
trary to all custom. 

We rowed first to the little isle Puai, part of which is actually 



302 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

a small volcano, and the rest soft mud and fissured rock, through 
which the steam comes hissing and puffing : nevertheless the exist- 
ence of a small native hut shows that some traTellers have selected 
this dangerous spot for their night-quarters. It certainly has the 
advantage of commanding a capital view all round; and as we 
looked back to our own camping-ground we saw the dark moun- 
tains veiled by a thousand columns of white steam, which also 
rose from the surface of the lake, mingling with the wreaths of 
morning mist. Had time allowed we might have visited fresh 
groups of geysers, terraces, fumaroles, and solfataras. As it was, 
we devoted the morning to the pink terraces, which, I think, would 
be the most fascinating place for camping, though the Maoris prefer 
our site, as offering superior culinary advantages. But such vulgar 
considerations would be outweighed by the charm of having per- 
fect command, at all hours, of this, the very queen of all baths, 
and also by the beauty of the general view of the lake from the 
hill overlooking this terrace. 

This flight of marble basins differs from the others in that they 
have none of the sharp coral-like stalactites which, while they so 
greatly enhanced the beauty of the white terraces, do detract some- 
what from the comfort of bathing in them, especially to foolish 
people who, like myself, cannot swim, and so dare not venture into 
the deeper pools. The pink terrace has no such drawback, its 
marble being so polished that you may walk barefooted over it, or 
strike yourself against the curved edges of the basins without the 
slightest discomfort. Rock and water are alike smooth and warm 
and pleasant, and you can prolong the delight of the bath to any 
extent, passing from one pool to another, sometimes receiving a 
gentle shower as the sparkling drops trickle from the overhanging 
rim of a pool, perhaps eight or ten feet above you, or else lying still 
in passive enjoyment, and watching the changing lights that flit 
across lake and hill, and all the time the kindly water is coating 
you with a thin film of that silica which makes the bath so smooth 
and the bather so silky. 

I wonder how it would pay to start a " Silica Bath Company " 
in London 1 We have certainly enough of flint in the old country, 
so silica cannot be lacking. 

These salmon-coloured terraces are subject to the same variations 
as their white neighbours. They, too, are formed by a geyser 
which plays in a basin about sixty feet above the lake. This lovely 
blue pool is also encircled on three sides by high bare cliffs of many 
colours. The pool is nearly fifty feet in diameter, and is surrounded 



A SULPHUR VOLCANO. 303 

by a marble platform about twenty feet in width, where you can 
generally walk in safety, but are always liable to a sudden rise and 
overflow of boiling water. We walked all over the terraces dry- 
shod this morning, but later in the day they were flooded to the 
depth of five inches. 

I got a large very careful drawing from the ridge overlooking 
these terraces, with our tent and the white terraces on the other 
side of the lake. From this point I observed a great cloud of 
primrose-coloured steam rising from a cone — so returning to the 
canoe, we rowed round to this spot, and found a large active vol- 
cano of the purest sulphur. The whole of the crater is pure yellow, 
and so are many of the rocks, and also the water of the lake for a 
considerable distance, making a strange foreground to the vivid 
blue of the distant lake and sky. In the afternoon we retraced 
much of the ground we went over yesterday, as of course I am 
anxious to secure drawings of some of the most striking scenes. 
One might work here for months and find strange new subjects 
every day. It certainly is not comfortable sketching- ground, as 
there are few spots where it would be possible to sit down, and it 
is no easy matter to hold a large block and work standing, even 
when a faithful Maori stands by to hold your colour-box. One 
man, Heme, is very good and helpful, but the others rather hold 
aloof, being greatly awed by a number of their countrymen, who 
have arrived with other canoes, and are making themselves odious. 

It seems that, at the instigation of a white man (who, for his 
own reasons, was anxious to curry favour with the Maoris), they 
have issued a printed notice, to the effect that no one shall take 
photographs in this district without paying them a tax of £5 for 
that privilege. From the first moment of my arrival at Wairoa, 
my sketching-blocks became a source of keen interest to the natives, 
who therein scented a possibility of extortion. From that moment 
they have returned to the attack again and again; and though, 
happily for me, they consider it useless to attack a stupid woman 
who cannot understand them, they have never ceased to annoy Mrs 
Way, whom they consider bound to take their part, and are very 
angry indeed because she tries to make them understand that water- 
colour painting and photography are distinct arts. They have de- 
cided that I ought, on the contrary, to pay them a larger sum, 
because the coloured drawings give a truer idea of the place, and 
must therefore be more valuable. It was quite in vain to suggest 
that the sight of these pictures would induce fresh visitors to come 
and spend their much-coveted gold in the district. This only added 



30-i AT HOME W FIJI. 

fresh fuel to the fire. They said it was certain I should make a 
fortune by showing those pictures in Auckland, perhaps even in 
Britain, while they, owners of the place, would have no share in 
the profits. Of course I was determined not to pay the money, 
both from a natural aversion to being done, and also because such 
a precedent would have settled the question, to the detriment of all 
future sketchers. But you can imagine the annoyance which these 
noisy talkers have caused us : happily they are all camped at the 
other side of the lake. 

Now I am thoroughly tired, and am going to repeat the mud- 
bath of last night, and then turn in for a good night's rest. 



Old Mission Station, Wairoa, April 5. 

We were aroused at 4 a.m. by Mr Way, who had ridden all the 
distance from Wairoa to bring us a loaf of bread, and to announce 
the unexpected arrival at his house of a party of friends, who pur- 
posed joining us in the course of the day. He had waded across the 
creek at the head of the lake ; and having thus provided us with 
breakfast, he returned to rejoin his party at home. 

Being now thoroughly awake, and dear old Mary being equally 
so, we stole quietly out of the tent and went off to bathe at the 
white terraces. It was a lovely sunrise ; the water was delicious — 
temptations to linger manifold. Altogether it was a good deal 
later than we thought, when we returned along the shore, gracefully 
draped in our plaids and blankets, but by no means fully attired. 
To my dismay I perceived a large party of Maoris assembled round 
our cooking-spring, and another canoe lying beside ours. Mary re- 
cognised the party as being with two Scotch gentlemen, who had 
arrived on tbe other side of the lake the previous day, and with 
whom we had fraternised by small exchanges of fish and bread, 
matches, and pepper and salt. Fortunately they had gone off to 
the mud volcanoes ; so having dressed with all speed, we were able 
on their return to invite them to share our breakfast, just taken 
out of the hot spring. Their arrival was most opportune ; for the 
Maoris, having talked themselves into great excitement, just then 
came up en masse to inform Mrs Way that I must either at once 
pay them the coveted £5, or leave the place instantly. They were 
so very stormy and decided, that it would have been extremely un- 
pleasant had we been alone. Happily the quiet determination of 
our new friends overawed them, and they fell back grumbling. 

After this little episode we fell into home talk, and one of them 



MAORI HARPIES. 305 

asked me if I was any relation to Colonel G. C. of Auchintoul. On 
hearing I was his sister, he proceeded to tell me how, last year, he 
was fishing on the Deveron, and, much to his embarrassment, had 
hooked a seven-pound trout with a very light trout-line, when hap- 
pily Colonel G. C. espied him, came to the rescue, and gaffed the 
fish. Strange, was it not, that Bill should have rescued a stranger 
from a wild fish in Banffshire, and that in the following season the 
fisher should come to the antipodes, just in time to rescue me from 
the wild Maoris ! Thanks to this seasonable reinforcement, I was 
able to do a good deal of steady work for several hours. 

In the course of the day, the other party of friends arrived, and 
included two ladies. Arthur Fisher also arrived. The day I left 
Tauranga he had been obliged to return to Kati Kati on business, 
which entailed a walk of forty miles. He walked back to Tau- 
ranga, which made forty more, before he was able to start on the 
actual trip to Eotomahana. Unfortunately he arrived so late that 
he had but a hurried glimpse of all the wonders. 

Then we all started to row back here, and all the canoes raced 
down Lake Tarawara. It was very amusing, and the rowers became 
immensely excited. Arriving here, our kind hosts insisted on giv- 
ing up their own room to the other two ladies and me, and we 
all had a very cheery evening. Early this morning, however, the 
Maoris returned to the charge with renewed vigour, determined to 
extort that wretched £5. They tell Mary that my pictures shall 
never leave the district; that they will seize my portfolios and 
destroy them all. Mary says it is only bluster, but Mrs Way is 
not so sure ; and as I should have no redress if irreparable damage 
is done, we have packed the precious sketches securely in the 
middle of a huge bundle of plaids and pillows, so as to escape 
attention, and the faithful Heme will carry it to the coach. 



Mrs Wilson's Hotel, Ohinemuttt, 10 p.m. 

"Victory ! we have triumphed ! By good luck a large party of 
Europeans happened to come up by coach, so we enlisted them, and 
formed altogether a party of fourteen whites, with the baggage in 
the middle. Then we marched through the village to the hotel, 
just as the coach-and-four was ready to start. The foe mustered 
strong, but apparently thought further attack undesirable, so we 
drove off in safety. But I confess I am glad to know that we arc 
here on the territory of another tribe, who are not likely to sym- 
pathise with the people of Wairoa. Mrs Wilson has welcomed me 

u 



306 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

back with the cordiality of an old friend, as have all the residents 
and visitors in the house — kind, hearty people. 

AircKLAXD, Feb. 8. 

Before daybreak the following morning I was out sketching the 
steaming graveyard in the Old Pah ; and after a very early break- 
fast started by coach for Tauranga, leaving the little village still 
shrouded in thick clouds of white steam, which sparkled in dewy 
beads on the webs of myriads of gossamer spiders. A light fire 
had passed over the ferny hills — so light that the skeletons of the 
brackens Avere left standing ; and it seemed as if each branch of 
scorched fern, far as the eye could reach, was veiled with one of 
these fairy webs. Arriving at Tauranga, I found that kind Mrs 
Edgecumbe had, with her own hands, prepared a capital tea-dinner 
for me, her maid having, according to colonial custom, gone off 
suddenly, leaving her quite alone on her own resources, with four 
children to look after ! 

An hour later I embarked in the coasting- steamer, where, much 
to my delight, I found Mrs Ferguson coming up from her remote 
station to see her sweet little daughter, who for the present is left 
in Auckland. We spent the night together, lying on a sky-light, 
tucked in beneath a pile of blankets, by the good old Scotch cap- 
tain, who had previously administered to us a most comfortable 
glass of real hot toddy ! It proved a dirty night of storm and rain ; 
but we were quite cosy, and Ella filled me with amazement by ac- 
counts of the rides which she constantly has to do alone, often in 
the dark, to get nails or anything else required by the builders of 
her future home, and of the dangerous fords she has to cross, some- 
times swimming her horse. She makes very light of all the hard- 
ships of her tent-life, which include cooking and baking for the 
party. It is wonderful what fragile and delicate ladies can do when 
they resolve to face colonial life ! 

We arrived here safely, and I found Lady Gordon and the 
children and Colonel Pratt all ready for our return to Fiji, on 
board the Zealandia, which sails next Thursday. Mr Maudslay is 
expected from Wellington, just in time to accompany us. We all 
feel much better for our trip here : and though I greatly regret 
having seen nothing of the Southern Isle, we are not sorry to be 
going back to our island home. . . . It is rather aggravating, 
both to Lady Gordon and myself, that every one we meet insists 
on congratulating us on our very fortunate investments in the 
lucky Moanatairi mine. It is quite useless for us to assert that 



A WET NIGHT. 307 

we only wish we had had such good luck, but that, unfortunately, 
the idea never entered our minds. The fact of my having been 
there is quite sufficient, and we are now looked upon as million- 
aires ! "We only wish it had been true ! Poor Fiji stands greatly 
in need of such. Good-bye. — Your loving sister. 



CHAPTER XXVL 

FIJIAN RIVERS SAMOAN ENVOYS DEATH OP A TRUE APOSTLE A 

REVIVAL MAKING A RACE-COURSE MISSION TO NEW BRITAIN. 

Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji, March 26, 1877. 

My dear Nell, — Once more we are safely back in the isles. 
We came from Auckland in the Zealandia — a noble vessel, up- 
wards of 3200 tons. You can imagine how horrible was the 
change when she dropped us at Khandavu, and we found only the 
Barb, a wretched little ketch of about 35 tons (the best vessel poor 
Fiji had to send), and which was first to bring us here, and was 
then to return to take the other passengers and the mails to 
Levuka. We might well say " bad is the best," for this, which 
at present is the Government ship, has no accommodation of any 
sort for ladies. 

Fortunately we landed on a lovely day, and quite enjoyed our 
row up the harbour, whence we walked across the isthmus to the 
opposite '3ay, where the Barb was anchored. It is a lovely coast, 
with white sand and many shells, and thickly fringed with palms. 
"We lunched on the shore, and then embarked. We had hardly 
set sail when it commenced to rain heavily. The tiny cabin was 
so stuffy that it seemed hard enough to condemn even the children 
to stay in it. They and their nurse had a miserable night of sick- 
ness. For ourselves, we considered a drenching to be the lesser 
evil of the two, so when night came on, we lay down on the deck 
with no awning and the rain pouring, while gusts of wind period- 
ically blew our umbrellas inside out. The gentlemen, saturated 
and miserable, did their best to be cheery, and occasionally came 
round to offer us creature comfort in the way of bits of chocolate 
and biscuit, or a very needful nip of brandy or claret. So the 
long night wore through. At daybreak Ave were off Suva, but the 



308 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

mist was so dense that it was nearly noon before we CDuld dis- 
tinguish the passage through the coral reef, and run into harbour. 
You can imagine how glad we were to see the barge, and the gig 
with the nice Fijian boatmen, all so pleased to welcome us back ; 
and soon we were comfortably housed in Mrs Joski's pleasant 
home. (Nasova is, as usual, undergoing re-thatching.) 

Having landed us, the Barb returned to Khandavu to fetch the 
mails and the other passengers (including two ladies and a baby). 
Though the accommodation there was wretched enough, it must 
have been Paradise compared with what followed. For five days 
and nights they lay becalmed in pouring rain ere they reached 
Levuka ! Such are the pleasures of travelling in Fiji ! And yet 
its beauty atones for many discomforts ; and the lovely days, when 
they do come, make up for all the rainy ones. And I do feel so 
glad once more to see canoes with quaint sails, and graceful living 
bronzes with artistic drapery. What a country this would be for 
an artist studying figure painting ! The people love to see them- 
selves on paper, and will sit as still as a rock for hours to be 
sketched. It is lamentable that such good models should be 
wasted. 

We had only been here one day when a messenger came from 
ISTasova to say that a vessel had arrived from Samoa bringing a 
deputation of chiefs, representing the various conflicting parties 
there, who had come to discuss the subject of British protection, 
and to see for themselves how it is working in Fiji. So Sir 
Arthur, escorted by Mr Maudslay, went off to receive them. 

I think I have already told you that this is the spot which the 
Home Government has just selected as the site of the futui^ capital. 
Great is the howl of dismay raised by the householders t . Levuka 
at the idea of the change; but there is no immediate -prospect of a 
serious migration from there, for as yet there are only four houses 
here. From this verandah we have a lovely view of the harbour 
and the beautiful mountain-ranges, seen through festoons of large- 
leaved granadilla, the great passion-flower, which at present is 
loaded with ripe fruit as big as a small pumpkin. These we eat 
with milk and sugar, and find them excellent. We have had 
some charming expeditions by boat and canoe, the latter being 
available in many places where we cannot take the boats. 

Nothing can exceed the loveliness of some of the many rivers 
which flow into Suva harbour, none too wide to admit of full en- 
joyment of the rich tropical foliage which clothes their banks, 
overhanging the stream, and sometimes mirrored on the clear 



FIJIAN RIVERS. 309 

waters. Delicate and beautiful creepers of every conceivable pat- 
tern, assuming forms more or less akin to our own Virginian 
creeper, convolvulus, and ash, only in infinite variety and luxuri- 
ance, blend their foliage one with another in inextricable confusion, 
and together overspread the tall trees, thence falling in long veils 
as of dripping leaves. Verily these green things of the earth are 
things of beauty. Loveliest of all is a climbing fern which the 
natives call the Wa kolou, or god fern, 1 and with which they make 
garlands either for their own shoulders, or to twine round the ridge- 
pole of their houses. And nowhere have I seen tree-ferns in greater 
abundance than here. You come upon banks so densely clothed 
with them that you distinguish no other form. Still it is hard to 
get reconciled to the wholesale destruction of so much beauty, which 
results from the use of the stem for ordinary purposes, such as 
making fences and supports for the interior of houses. Multitudes 
of wild duck haunt these quiet streams, and tantalise the sportsman 
by falling wounded, with just life enough to dive ; and if only they 
can reach the tangled roots of the mangrove, they are never seen 
again. 

One day Adolphe Joski rowed me up the lovely Tama Vua river 
to see a village perched on a high crag. We landed, and climbed 
up a rock-stair, which was like the stairs of a dozen cathedral towers 
heaped one above the other, and as slippery as ice — rather a diffi- 
cult approach to one's home ! Yet in this eyrie we found several 
families with their little ones, apparently perfectly content with 
their quarters. According to custom, the graves of the village are 
on a point still more difficult of access, in order that they may be 
safe from the desecrating hands of foes. Of course, the position of 
both village and graves tells of the days of war and cannibalism. 
Already some of the people have come down to a more convenient 
level ; and we halted at a village near the river, and rested in the 
house of a fine old chief, whose fireplace and great black cooking- 
pots I sketched, while his graceful daughter sat by, watching my 
work, and peeling ripe delicious oranges, with which she fed me, 
while my companion talked to the old chief. 

Another day we all went to a neighbouring village to see Andi 
Clara, who is the nicest Fijian lady we know, and has such a pretty 
new brown baby. Last year's baby has grown quite beautiful. It 
is Lady Gordon's godchild, and called after her, Andi Eacheli. 2 I 
halted that afternoon, to sketch in the sugar-cane fields ; but the 
position proved bad for the arts, as my escort never ceased peeling 
* Lygodium reticulatum. 2 Lady Rachel. 



310 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

canes, and administering small juicy pieces, which, though irresist- 
ible, were decidedly sticky. 

One day last week I started alone at daybreak to sketch a group 
of beautiful peaks; some points in the range are upwards of 4500 
feet in height : my path lay through the deserted sugar-fields, where 
the cane is now left to run wild. Though useless for commerce, it 
is sufficiently luxuriant to reach far above my head, and that, morn- 
ing I found it dripping from the previous night's rain. Of course 
I was soon soaked, and had enough to do to keep my paper dry. 
Following a faint old native track, I got into a glen full of dark 
eevie trees (the Fijian chestnut tree). I pushed on, passing occa- 
sional patches of cultivation, yam and taro, thinking that where 
these were, I must find my way all right. Then I came to a limpid 
stream, overshadowed by a shaddock -tree, loaded with great ripo 
fruit, like huge oranges, pink inside ; so I rested and ate shaddock, 
and then started afresh. Soon I lost all trace of the track, and I 
could scarcely force my way through the dense reedy grass, which 
is eight or ten feet high, and all matted with convolvulus. Which- 
ever way I turned, up hill or down, it was all the same weary waste 
of tall reeds ; and if by chance I found an old taro patch, there 
remained no sign of any path. At last I concluded that I was 
really lost, and shouted till I was tired, hoping that some villager 
might have come to - dig his yams ; but no voice answered. Then 
I bethought me if only I could strike the glen again, I could 
scramble along in the bed of the stream till I hit the track ; and 
at last I happily did so, and got home pretty well tired out, as you 



Bau, April 29, 1877. 

After ten days at Suva it was decided that the whole party 
should return to headquarters at Nasova without waiting for the 
completion of the thatching, though it does cause a confusion and 
a hubbub all about the place. So we started — ourselves in a large 
new boat, the Abbeys in the gig, a third boat with luggage and 
servants, towing the Baron's canoe, and two beautiful cutters (be- 
longing to Mr Mauclslay and Captain Knollys) bringing the rest of 
the household goods. We were thus quite a fleet. Five hours' 
sail brought us to Rewa, where we went to see the wife of the 
chief, Andi Tartilia, who had a small daughter last week. This 
atom is called "The Lightning of Heaven." It was handed to me 
on a tiny mat, very finely woven, and just its own size. It is 
against all Fijian custom that the child of a chief should leave 



AN OLD CUSTOM. 311 

nursing-arms for the first ten days, so many ladies of rank assemble 
and relieve guard. Five were sitting together, cuddled up in a 
huge piece of tappa, which was considered necessary to keep the 
baby warm. The mother lay close to the fireplace, in the middle 
of the floor, with a blazing fire, and an immense square of hand- 
some tappa thrown over her, covering a space of many yards. This 
with a thermometer at about 85° ! 

. We came here that same evening, and received our usual cordial 
welcome from Mr and Mrs Langham. Lady Gordon had arranged 
to proceed to Nasova the next day, but I gladly accepted an invita- 
tion to stay here a few days. I was all the better pleased to do so, 
as the party of Samoan chiefs having had their interview with the 
Governor regarding British protection, have been sent here for further 
information from the native chiefs, and of course their reception by 
the Yuni Valu and his people is a matter of great interest. The 
chiefs are representatives of the three parties who have been con- 
tending for mastery in Samoa, and who now crave the help of the 
British lion in settling their difficulties. Two of the party talk 
excellent English, and all are most intelligent. The two ladies are 
pretty, graceful girls. 

A curious piece of old Fijian etiquette was observed on their 
arrival. The little vessel which brought them from Ovalau had 
anchored at Bau the night we arrived here. Of course with ten 
Samoan gentlemen and two ladies on board so small a craft, the 
pleasure of getting ashore would have been very great. But this 
could not be dreamt of. Not till the following morning, when the 
Vuni Yalu sent messengers to swim off to them, with whales' teeth 
and other gifts, and invite them to land, could they do so. Then 
they came ashore in great state, all very handsome chief-like men, 
dressed in heavy drapery of the thickest hand -painted tappa. They 
were received by the Fijian chiefs, and conducted to Thakombau's 
house, where there was a great ceremonial drinking of yangona. 

In the evening we went to call in due form on the Samoan 
ladies, and found them at the house of the king's son, Ratu 
Timothy, and his pretty Tongan wife. Of course the great wooden 
yangona-bowl occupied a central position, and the party lay in 
picturesque groups on the mats all round. To-morrow they are 
all to be taken an expedition up the Itewa, to show them some- 
thing of the country, the sugar-mills, &c. 

This evening I have been a lovely expedition with Mr Langham, 
up one of the beautiful little rivers on the mainland, to the village 
of Na Ooa Ooa. The stream gradually narrowed as we ascended, 



312 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

and we glided on beneath, overhanging trees, in and out between 
old mangroves, which dropped their strange weird roots into the 
stream from a height of fully twenty feet. As we returned late in 
the evening to the river's mouth, the clouds on the horizon were 
fiery as if at sunset, and the red moon rose from the sea like a 
ball of molten gold, casting long gleaming reflections on the stil 
waters. 

Late as it was, on our return we went to see dear old Joe 
Mbulu, the noble old Tongan minister of whom I have ofte 
spoken to you. Alas ! his work is wellnigh finished. He i 
greatly changed this week — wasted to a shadow : but his face is 
perhaps more beautiful than ever, from its sweetness of expression 
and the bright look which at times lights it up, — just like some 
grand old apostle nearing his rest. He is very tall and stately, 
with a halo of white hair and long grey beard. His skin is very 
fair, like that of all the Tongans and Samoans. Generally he wears 
only his long white waist-cloth, almost to the feet, which are bare 
and folds of native cloth round his loins. He has been a Christian 
teacher in Fiji for the last thirty years — that is, from the begin- 
ning — amid noise and tumult of war, and in the thick of all the 
devilry of cannibalism. He has been the old king's special teacher, 
— and many a difficult day he has had with him and all his hand- 
some, strong-willed sons and daughters. They are all very much 
attached to him ; and some of them are generally with him now, 
fanning or just watching beside him. 

There is no doubt that his magnificent physical development 
has tended to increase his ascendancy over a race which naturally 
looks up to one whose stature at once proclaims him to be tamata 
ndlna (a man indeed). That such he is, is testified by the deep 
scars on one arm, which tell of such a triumph, and such power of 
endurance, as no Fijian living can boast of. 

Many years ago, he had a dream about an encounter with a 
shark. This so hauntH him, that for many days he refused to 
swim, as was his wont, in the deep water near the mouth of the 
river. At length, yielding to the persuasions of other bold swim- 
mers, he ventured in, and was far ahead of his companions, when 
suddenly he beheld the monster of his dream coming straight to- 
wards him. There was not a moment for hesitation. As the cruel 
jaws opened, he plunged his arm down the throat of the shark, and, 
grasping its tongue by the root, held it firmly, while with the other 
arm he swam towards the shore, dragging the brute after him. As 
he reached the bank he fell down in a dead faint from exhaustion 



i 



A GKEAT MEKE. 313 

and loss of blood ; but his wounds were speedily dressed, and the 
arm recovered almost all its power. 

Bau, May 6, 1ST7. 

The Samoan party returned last Thursday, much pleased with all 
they have seen. Next day the annual " missionary meeting " was 
held here, when, as you know, the people of the district assemble 
to bring their contributions for the support of the mission, and each 
village exhibits its favourite dance. On this occasion, one descrip- 
tive of catching a hundred fish had been specially ordered for the 
amusement of the Samoans, and was particularly good, as was also 
a fan dance. Then the ladies of Bau, headed by the old queen and 
her daughter, and all the young ladies of noble birth, sang a very 
fine meke, with appropriate stately gestures; and very well they 
looked, — all alike wearing the little white jacket, with low neck 
and short sleeves, and a fringe of bright yellow banana-leaf, torn 
into strips, round the waist, over their skirts of native cloth. 

As a study of colour, I specially noted one stalwart fellow wear- 
ing a garland of these golden leaves thrown over his madder-brown 
shoulders, and a gauzy film of sienna- coloured smoked tappa over 
his hair, and folds of creamy-brown tappa round the waist. He 
stood in relief against a clear blue sky — a study for an artist. 

On the following day, the Yuni Yalu had ordered the people of 
four towns on the mainland to come over and perform a great meke 
in honour of his guests, assembling as usual on the vara — i.e., the 
village green. They came, very elaborately dressed. First two 
hundred marched up, one hundred bringing rolled-up mats, and 
one hundred bearing taro, to be laid as offerings at the strangers' 
feet. Other dancers brought sugar-canes and divers gifts. The 
first two hundred then stood up in double line facing us, one line 
constantly advancing and retreating under the arms of the others. 
This was exceedingly graceful. Their dress was almost uniform, 
most having very handsome large neck ornaments of carved shell. 
The measured hand-clapping was so regular that it sounded like one 
pair of hands each time. 

Then came a second company, bearing gifts of yams and pottery, 
which they added to the first heap. They also performed a very 
graceful dance like an elaborate ballet. This done, Thakombau 
formally presented the property to the Samoans, whose principal 
attendants proceeded to count the amount given, and return thanks 
for so many articles. Then two of the party arose (they were all 
dressed in kilts of rich brown native cloth, with necklaces of large 



314 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

red berries and green leaves). These two then performed an extra- 
ordinary dance, which greatly astonished the Fijians. They capered 
wildly round and round the vara like a pair of spinning-tops, twirl- 
ing a club round their head, and springing into the air in most 
wonderful style, — throwing the club up and catching it again 
The Vuni Valu, who was looking on with intense interest, recog- 
nised this ceremony as an ancient Fijian form of accepting an 
offering. 

These Samoans are very handsome men, and their skin is a clear 
olive colour. In dancing so energetically, their kilts of native 
cloth very naturally became disarranged, and revealed complete knee- 
breeches of the most elaborate close tattooing. I wonder whether 
the woad of our own ancestors was as artistically put on ! 

They then proceeded to touch each offering, and next touched 
the crown of their head in token of acceptance. One of their party 
now made a speech, which their interpreter repeated to the Vuni 
Valu, after which they divided the spoil — aj>portioning gifts of food 
to the mission and to each house of note in Bau, and reserving the 
mats and pottery as their own share. Of course their daily food is 
given to them ready cooked. 

After the dances they came up to tea here, sitting at the table in 
most orthodox style, and were much amused looking at coloured 
stereoscopes. They were also delighted because a lady who is 
staying here played all the liveliest tunes she possibly could induce 
the harmonium to give forth ; and they joined in singing " Home, 
sweet Home," and similar old airs, which seemed familiar to them, 
— and, moreover, they sang them quite in tune, which I cannot say 
for most Fijian s. 

In the evening we were all invited to join the party at the old 
king's house. While waiting our summons we sat in the clear 
moonlight under the great Mbaka trees among the huge grey stones, 
which were formerly the foundation of the principal heathen temple, 
and the scene of many a bloody sacrifice. ^N"ow all was still and 
peaceful ; for it was the hour of evening prayer, and each family 
was assembled in its own home for a few moments of quiet wor- 
ship. Close by was the house in which lay dear old Joeli, fast 
passing away from the scene in which he has so steadfastly worked 
to bring about this great change. 

After a while the old chief sent to fetch us. We found him and 
his family seated on the mats in a semicircle — his guests in another 
semicircle facing him, and all the retainers crouching round. We 
were placed on mats at the upper end and the great wooden yan- 



CEREMONIAL DRINKING. 315 

gona-bowl stood opposite. This night the nectar was to be brewed 
by the Samoans, and Ave watched with interest to see wherein their 
customs in preparing their national drink differed from those of 
Fiji. In the first place, there were no songs during the process of 
chewing, which I regretted, as I delight in the wild measured chants 
which invariably accompany the yangona-brewing of Fiji, where 
there are special songs and distinct varieties of hand-clapping for 
each stage of the proceeding. Here, too, no woman touches the 
bowl. 

The Samoan girls not only helped in chewing, but one of them 
strained the mixture in the great wooden bowl through the hybiscus 
fibre, and most gracefully she did it. She had put off her heavy neck- 
lace of large scarlet berries, and wore only a white sulu with fringe 
of green leaves, and a scarlet hybiscus in her rich sienna hair. It 
was a pretty picture. But the old king could scarcely conceal his 
contempt at the idea of seeing a woman deputed to such an office. 
It was not vaka Viti, he said — that is, not according to Fijian cus- 
tom. A Samoan attendant, wearing only a liku, or kilt fringe of 
green leaves, carried round the cocoa-nut cup which the girl filled 
for each drinker, while a herald proclaimed the name of each in his 
social order. The name of a very high chief was Avhispered almost 
inaudibly, while that of his messenger was shouted. There was 
none of the measured hand-clapping so essential in Fiji while a 
chief is drinking, and when he has finished. In Samoa only the 
drinker himself claps his hands on returning the cup, which he 
hands back, instead of skimming it across the mat, vaJcct Viti. 

The chiefs had already held a great discussion on the state of 
affairs in their respective countries, and their inability to protect 
themselves against the wicked machinations of scheming white men 
of all nations, without the aid of some civilised Government. 
Much to our satisfaction, therefore, the old king, weary of talking 
business, asked the Samoans to let him see one of their dances. 
They at once consented ; and, remarking that the highest chief was 
the best dancer, four of them agreed to dance, while the others 
sang and played a sort of accompaniment by clapping hands. At 
first the four sat on the ground, going through violent action of the 
arms, and hand-clapping all over their own bodies. They then 
sprang to their feet and danced a sort of wild Highland fling. 
Finally, they made most hideous faces at one another, and we 
agreed it must be a fragment of some old devil-dance. Afterwards 
they showed us a quieter dance, but it was utterly lacking in the 
grace of the Fijian mekes. The songs were very pretty; some re- 



316 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

minded me of wild Gaelic airs, and they were sung in perfect tune, 
with good seconds. 

It was nearly midnight when we left the old king's house; and 
hearing that a canoe had arrived from Levuka, we went to the 
Roko's house to get our letters. Lady Gordon had sent a parcel of 
jujubes and acid drops for dear old Joeli, which we«took to him. 
The noble face lighted up as we entered, and he greeted us as was 
his wont— with holy and loving words. He was perfectly calm, 
and the grand steadfast mind clear as ever ; but it is evident that 
he is nearing his rest. 

To-day it is very hot ; there is not a breath stirring. The sea is 
perfectly calm, and reflects every delicate cloud and distant isle. 
A canoe starts at daybreak, and will take this letter. So good- 
bye. 

Bau, May 7, 1877. 

Last night there was great wailing and lamentation in Bau, for 
soon after midnight Joeli passed away, and died nobly as he had 
lived. He was quite conscious to the very last, and the expression 
of the grand old face was simply beautiful — so radiant, as of one 
without a shadow of doubt concerning the Home he was so near. 
2STo man ever more truly earned the right to say, " I have fought a 
good fight — I have kept the faith ; " and none ever was more truly 
humble. If ever the crown of righteousness is awarded by a 
righteous Judge to His true and faithful servants, assuredly Joeli 
will not fail to stand in that blessed company. 

This morning we went to look once more on the face we all 
loved so truly. He looked grand in death as in life, lying on a 
square of rich black-brown tap pa, his head pillowed on a large 
roll of native cloth, his beautiful white hair thrown back as a halo, 
and his long white beard adding to his patriarchal beauty. Over 
his feet were thrown two beautifully fine Samoan mats. His poor 
widow Ekkesa, his pretty grand-daughter, and many other women, 
and students from the college, were all weeping bitterly, as those 
who had lost their wise and loving counsellor and guide. The 
king and all his family also mourn sorely, for Joeli has ever been 
their true and faithful friend and minister ; and many a time has 
he vainly pleaded with the old chief in the long years ere he could 
be brought to abandon the vile customs of heathenism. All 
through Joeli's illness I have rarely entered the house without 
finding some member of Thakombau's family sitting by him, watch- 
ing his sleep, or fanning him. 



JOELl's FUNERAL. 317 

According to native custom, the costly Samoan mats and native 
cloth that lay beneath him and over his feet were buried with him ; 
and had the funeral been simply vaka Viti, the body should only 
have been wrapped in many Fijian mats. But Thakombau, an- 
xious to do all honour to his old friend, wished that he should be 
buried in a coffin. So as there chanced to be a half-caste carpenter 
on the island building a boat, he made a coffin with some planks of 
red cedar wood. He did not get the order till 10 A.M., and the 
funeral was to start at 3 p.m. Just an hour beforehand it was 
brought to the mission to be lined and covered, in which work I 
assisted, and so gained my first experience of undertaker's business. 

The place of burial was a beautiful site near an old church on 
the neighbouring isle of Viwa. The funeral procession was a very 
touching one. One large canoe carried the dead and the chief 
mourners. The old king and his three stalwart sons and two 
daughters, as also Andi Eleanor, Tui Thakow's real wife, followed 
in others ; and nearly all the people of Bau, and from many neigh- 
bouring villages, came in canoes and boats, making a very great 
procession. All the principal mourners, including the royal family, 
wore a piece of coarse old matting, all frayed out, in token of 
mourning. It is worn round the waist, over the ordinary dress. 
"We made a beautiful great wreath of white jessamine and blue- 
grey flowers, with an outer wreath of scarlet leaves, and this we 
laid on the coffin. The grave was upwards of a mile from the 
shore; and about twenty young teachers — fine young fellows — 
took it by turns to carry the coffin up a steep hill, and through 
green forest -glades, to the place of rest. Part of our beautiful 
funeral service was repeated in the rich Fijian tongue (which to 
my ear always resembles Italian) ; and then Joeli was laid beside 
his old friend and teacher, the Rev. John Hunt, one of the early 
"VVesleyan missionaries, with whom he had shared many an anxious 
day, and who died here in 1848, at the early age of thirty-six. 

I told you about Mr Hunt commencing the mission at Somo 
Somo. For the last six years of his busy life of earnest work he 
lived chiefly on this island, where he had established his printing- 
press ; and in the intervals of travelling from isle to isle, in dan- 
ger, storm, and privation — teaching the people and supef.ntending 
the schools — he found time to train a large number of native 
a;ents, and also to produce and print an admirable translation of 
the New Testament. If you think of the amount of labour repre- 
sented in acquiring so very elaborate a language by ear, reducing 
it to writing, and then translating and printing so large a book 



318 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

with. such, rude appliances, and so little help, you will surely con- 
clude that this of itself would have been no light work for one 
man to undertake. So it was no wonder that this over-willing 
spirit should have outworn the frail body. 

He had his reward in seeing a marvellous change pass over his 
cannibal neighbours at Yiwa. Here (where, five years before, one 
of the most horribly treacherous massacres which ever disgraced 
Fiji had been perpetrated, and the bodies of upwards of a hundred 
poor fishermen deliberately murdered for the ovens of Bau, lay 
strewn all round the mission premises, where Mr Cross and his 
family, with the native teachers, had assembled, horror-stricken, 
but utterly powerless to stay the butchery), Mr Hunt records the 
story of a general awakening, before which all such revival meet- 
ings as we have heard of elsewhere seem pale and colourless. He 
had instituted special prayer-meetings (penitent meetings they were 
called) on Saturday evenings, and was struck by the exceeding 
earnestness which seemed to prevail amongst all present. This 
was the commencement of a series of meetings held night and 
morning in almost every house, when, like the men of Nineveh of 
old, these people, with one accord, humbled themselves in the 
dust, crying for mercy, with one heart and one voice. These 
fierce murderers and cannibals seemed suddenly to realise the 
awfulness of their guilt, and were overwhelmed by the sense of 
their own wickedness. In deepest contrition they knelt before the 
God of the Christians, weeping and wailing piteously, pleading for 
forgiveness, and continuing in such agony of prayer that many 
of these men — some of them the worst cannibals in Fiji — fainted 
from sheer exhaustion, and no sooner recovered consciousness than 
they again began to agonise in prayer till they again became insen- 
sible. They had to be literally forced to take necessary food. 
Those who heard their cry noted its strong earnest sense. They 
simply bewailed their past wickedness, and implored God's mercy. 
This continued for several days, during which business, sleep, and 
food were almost entirely neglected. But the cry of the people 
was heard and answered, and soon a strange new peace — the peace 
that passeth understanding — seemed to pervade the isle. The 
people that had hitherto sat in darkness now saw a great light, 
and those who hitherto had been noted only for their evil deeds 
now became gentle and teachable, and began to lead simple} con- 
sistent, Christian lives. Truly, if such a change as this were the 
sole result wrought by the mission, the lives of Cross, Hunt, 
Hazlewood, Polglaze, and Baker were not laid down in vain, when 



A DAYS JOURNEY. 319 

one by one they died at their posts from sheer over-work. At 
least the first four did so. Mr Baker was murdered, as I men- 
tioned in writing from Yiti Levu. 

We lingered on the beautiful and now peaceful isle of Viwa for 
some hours, and then returned through the forest and over the 
star-lit sea, and so back'to the landing-place, at which Joeli had so 
often met and welcomed us ; and up the steep steps leading to the 
mission, past the site of the horrid ovens, where he had so often 
stood to rebuke the cruel rites that were there enacted. Alto- 
gether it has been a very sad day, and the funeral was one of the 
most pathetic and touching scenes you can imagine. 



Nasova, May 9, 1S77. 

Yesterday morning I started very early with Mr Langham to 
visit Moturiki, a rich beautiful island with lovely foliage. Our 
destination was a village called Niu Mbasanga, meaning the " two- 
headed cocoa-nut," which we there saw, and which is quite as 
great a deformity and wonder as a two-headed giant would be. I 
have only heard of one other palm-tree which has indulged in any 
freak of growth : that other is on the isle of Ngau, where five 
stems are said to spring from one root. 

We found the people of seven villages assembled for their 
annual "missionary meeting." There was the usual conference 
with the teachers about church matters, and the usual festive 
manner of presenting the annual offerings for the mission, the 
people adorned with the accustomed gay wreaths of bright leaves, 
and dancing joyously as is their wont. They looked happy and 
picturesque. The dances were excellent, and very varied. Even 
now, I constantly see something new to me. Yesterday most of 
the dancers carried huge fans, and were dressed in floating folds of 
native cloth, with kilt fringe of many-coloured ribbons of pandanus- 
leaf, also floating lightly round them. You cannot think how 
strange it is to see all the action and grouping of most admirable 
ballets, with the surroundings of a Fijian village — thatched houses, 
fine old trees, palms, a few big pigs and a multitude of little pigs 
roaming at large, and crowds of gentlest savages looking on. Wo 
rested at the house of Eatu Ben, a good-looking chief, who urged 
us to remain ; but we were obliged to push on, and sleep at a 
village further along the coast, as it was necessary to cross the 
only passage through the reef at high tide, which was at midnight. 
It was sunset ere we could leave the first village, and of course we 



320 AT HOME IN" FIJI. 

were not expected at the next; but the people soon turned out to 
meet us, and made torches of dry cocoa-palm leaves to light us 
through the wood. This is always a pretty sight, as the red gleams 
fall on great plantain or palm leaves, and ferns of every size and 
shape. As usual, we took possession of one end of the teacher's 
house, and the student-boatmen and their friends had mats at the 
other end. Early this morning we explored the village, which is 
pretty, and overshadowed by great eevie trees. Then we walked a 
mile along the shore to the boat, and started to row and sail by 
turns, keeping inside the main reef all the way. It was a lovely 
day for a sail, but it was only occasionally that we could venture 
to hoist one, as the beautiful, but horribly dangerous, coral-patches 
are very numerous. How you would enjoy such an expedition, 
looking down at the endless wonders of the corals, and fishes of all 
hues ; and all this as you glide along in perfectly smooth water, in- 
side the great reef, where the white breakers form a wall of dazzling 
surf — and how they do boom and roar ! 

We got here at noon, and found all well, except Sir Arthur, 
who is laid up with a very painful knee : this is particularly awk- 
ward just now, as the Samoan party have arrived, and have to be 
formally received. There is to be a great Fijian meke in their 
honour ; and the native soldiers are now hard at work practising 
their dances on the green, which greatly distracts my attention, as 
I cannot resist watching them. 

The house has just been rethatched, so it is f idl of caterpillars ; 
but as there are no biting creatures in all Fiji (except mosquitoes 
and sand-flies, and a rare centipede), we do not mind the innocent 
caterpillars. But the thatchers have destroyed all the beautiful 
festoons of climbing plants which we had trained so carefully over 
the pillars and verandah before our windows. 

There goes the dressing lali — i.e., a fine deep-toned wooden drum 
— which is our Fijian substitute for dressing and dinner gong, so I 
must stop writing. You cannot think how handsome the dining- 
room now looks. You know it was built as a council- chamber for 
the old king. Now it is adorned with most artistically-arranged 
trophies of spears, clubs, bowls, and all Fijian art-work, with richly- 
designed native cloth as drapery. So everything is well in keeping. 
Good-bye. 



Nasova, May 25 

There has been a wonderful outburst of gaiety, chiefly due to the 
presence of H.M.S. Sapphire, which has given an unwonted impetus 






OUR FIRST RACE-DAY. 321 

to cricket-matches, lawn-tennis, canoe-races, yacht-races, and all 
such small amusements as the place affords. But the excitement 
culminated yesterday, when, in honour of the Queen's birthday, 
Levuka had her first race-meeting ! — real races ! If only you could 
see the island, you would understand the wonder, especially if you 
recollect that, when we landed here eighteen months ago, Captain 
Olive and the butcher owned the only two horses on Ovalau ; and 
Sir Arthur brought out two ponies. As the only place where these 
could be used was the rough path, about one mile long, between 
Nasova and Levuka, and the little break-neck paths leading to 
different private houses, there seemed small reason to import more. 
It has been done, however, and straightway the Anglo-Saxon colony 
demanded a race-course. The question was where it could be 
made ; for it was difficult to find a bit of level ground, large enough 
even for cricket. At last, however, a place has been found, seven 
miles down the coast, where, by going several times round the 
course, a fair distance may be run. It has been necessary, how- 
ever, to wage incessant war against the crabs, which perforate the 
ground in every direction, and make it extremely dangerous for 
horses. Notwithstanding all drawbacks, there were half-a-dozen 
races, and three or four horses or ponies entered for each. The 
jockeys had colours ; and Levuka 's first races were most amusing, 
and voted a great success. The race-course in itself was extremely 
pretty, being situated on the sea-shore, at the entrance to a fine 
wooded gorge between high hills. 2s early a hundred boats, cutters 
and canoes, had arrived from Levuka and along the coast , and 
Europeans and Fijians formed picturesque groups beneath the 
cocoa palms and other trees, while a grand stand had been erected 
for the elite. The day was faultless, as beseemed the Queen's 
birthday, — and the scene was altogether very pretty, and quite a 
novel experience for Fiji. 

On our way back we went to tea on board the Sapphire, and 
then there was a large official dinner here, to about fifty people. 
To-morrow there is to be a regatta of all the boats and cutters 
belonging to the place, or to the ships in harbour, ending with a 
great native canoe race. It is sure to be a very pretty sight. We 
are to lunch on board H.M.S. Reynard, and then go to live o'clock 
tea on board H.M.S. Sapphire. 

May 30. 

Last night Lady Gordon and I went to dine with Mr Mitchell 
and Mr Eyre, who are living in a purely Fijian house in the native 

x 



322 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

village. They gave us excellent soup, made of young taro leaves 
boiled in sea-water, with the cream of squeezed cocoa-nut, prawns 
boiled and curried with cocoa-nut, pigeons, Fiji puddings, and yams 
and taro served on banana leaves. 

Afterwards we sat at the dooi, watching the full moon rise from 
the sea, framed by groups of palm-trees ; then we walked up to the 
quiet little cemetery on the hill, where the reedy grasses, shivering 
in the night-wind, seemed like spirit-voices, whispering of those 
who there rest in peace. 

Aul. 

Yesterday we dined on board H.M.S. Sapphire. It savoured of 
Fiji, that on going down to the pier we found it under repair, and 
we had to climb down to the boat as best we could. Lady Gordon 
was carried in her chair to another pier at some distance, to find 
that also under repair ; so she had to climb down after all, and of 
course we were unpunctual in consequence. The dinner was most 
recherche (larks stuffed with truffles, &c), and perfect in every 
detail, as are also Captain Murray's lovely cabins. As we rowed 
back by moonlight the ship burnt blue lights, displaying herself to 
great advantage. 

June 22, 1877. 

This morning I went with Baron von Hiigel to breakfast on 

board the mission-brig, John Wesley, with the Eev. and Mrs 

Brown, who are just about to sail for New Britain, taking with 
them a party of Fijian teachers to reinforce those already settled 
there. This mission to New Britain and New Zealand is purely 
Fijian — Mr Brown being the only white man connected with it. 
At the present moment, when the colonisation of New Guinea is a 
subject under so much discussion, and the desperate character of its 
cannibal people acknowledged to be an obstacle which even the 
thirst for gold does not make men willing to face, it certainly is 
interesting to know that from Fiji (which has itself so recently 
received the light of Christianity) has gone forth the first effort 
which sooner or later will inevitably result in the civilising of these 
wild tribes ; and, to look at it from a mercantile point of view, will 
open the door first to traders, and then to permanent settlers. 

It was, I think, in June 1875 that the idea of this mission was 
first suggested ; and that Mr Brown, after fully explaining to all 
the native teachers the imminent dangers it involved, asked if there 
were any among them who would volunteer for the work. The 



ZEALOUS TEACHERS. 323 

response was most cordial ; and nine brave determined men (seven 
of whom were married, and their wives true helpmeets in this great 
work) announced their wish to undertake it. On hearing of this, 
the English Consul considered it his duty to summon these teachers, 
and lay before them, in glowing colours, the dangers they were 
about to incur from climate and cannibals, and the almost inevi- 
table fate that awaited them should they persist in their rash de- 
termination. 

They replied that they had counted the cost, and were ready to 
accept all risks. One acting as spokesman for all, said : " We are 
all of one mind. We know what those islands are. We have 
given ourselves to this work. If we get killed, well ; if we live, 
well We have had everything explained to us, and know the 
danger. We are willing to go." They added that all dangers had 
been fully set before them by the missionaries, and that they had 
determined to go, because of their own wish to make known the 
Gospel of Christ to the people of other isles. Throughout the 
Fijian Isles the native teachers receive a salary of £10 a-year, and 
are supplied with food by their scholars. These men resigned all 
claim to any definite salary. They gave themselves as volunteers, 
without even the certainty of daily bread, resolved to face whatever 
hardships might lie before them. 

With something more than the zeal of the early saints (for we 
never hear that they went to live amongst cannibals), this band of 
brave men set sail in this same mission-brig, the John Wesley. 1 
Mr Brown had left his wife and children in New Zealand ; and I 
doubt if he was able to communicate once with them during the 
two years of his absence. He has now returned to announce that 
the mission is fairly established. He has been to New Zealand to 

1 News has recently been received that four of these native teachers have been 

treacherously murdered and eaten by the cannibal people of the Dxike of York 

Island, on which they, with their wives and little ones, had settled in the hope of 

| forming a separate mission. The murderers threatened also to kill and eat the 

| widows and orphans, and urged the natives of New Britain likewise to dispose of 

their teachers, and especially of the white missionary. The latter, being a Chris- 

i tian of the muscular type, deemed it wise, once for all, to teach these murderers 

j that the shedding of blood involves punishment in kind ; so mustering his little 

j band of Fijian and Sanioan catechists, he crossed over to the offending isle, rescued 

j the widows and orphans, and routed the horde of savages, who received a some- 

j what severe lesson on this occasion. These distressing tidings reached Fiji just as 

| a fresh detachment of teachers was about to start for New Britain. Their deter- 

, mination was in no degree shaken. One of them expressed the feeling of all when 

| he said : "If the people of New Britain kill and eat my body, I shall go to a place 

| where there is no more pain or death ; it is all right." One of the wives was asked 

j whether she still intended to accompany her husband to a scene of so great danger ; 

she replied : ''lain like the outrigger of a canoe — where the canoe goes, there you 

i will surely find the outrigger ! " Brave helpmeets these ! 



324 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

see his family ; and his wife, being a brave little woman, and 
one mind with her husband, has resolved to return with him. S 
they have placed their elder children at school, and are taking onl; 
one baby with them ; and now they have returned to Fiji to enlis 
fresh volunteers, and a few days hence they will quietly sail awa 
on their errand of mercy. And though their departure from he 
will hardly excite a passing comment, there is small doubt th 
their work Avill leave an enduring mark on the future history ( 
the Pacific Isles. Mr Brown gave us many most interesting detai' 
of all he had seen in New Britain, and of the country and peopl 
— none of which I have time to tell you, as the mail closes to-da; 
Good-bye. 

Nasova, June 25, 1877. 

Pear Jean*, — I have just returned from a pleasant three days 
expedition to the island of Wakaya, which is so near here that th< 
wonder is why we have not been there long ago. It is the pro 
perty of the late American Consul, Dr Brewer, and is one of the 
best examples of a fairly prosperous estate. Dr Brewer having 
most kindly placed his comfortable house at our disposal for some 
days, Captain Stewart, RE., made arrangements to take anothe 
lady and myself across in his little yacht. We- had a favouring 
breeze, and a rough but rapid passage, and arrived in such goo( 
time that we were able to start at once to climb a rocky hill, on 
the summit of which formerly stood a fortified town, which is the 
chief point of historic interest on the isle. For there was a deadly 
feud between the people of Wakaya and those of Ovalau, which 
resulted in the total extermination of the former, who finally tool 
refuge in this stronghold, until, driven to desperation, the chie 
and his wife together sprang over the cliffs to avoid falling into 
the hands of their foes. 

We wandered all about the beautiful hills, peering over crags 
and down richly wooded ravines, and from every fresh point 
obtained exquisite views of the wide calm Pacific Ocean, dottec 
with many isles. There were ten different inhabited isles in sight 
including the two very large ones, and all were bathed in tones o: 
ethereal blue and lilac. As we came back through the forest, we 
gathered huge pods of a monstrous vine. They were from three to 
four feet long, and resembled gigantic beans. 1 I have brough 
them back to convince all gainsayers of the accurate botanic^ 
research displayed in the good old story of Jack and the Beanstalk. 
The Walai. Entada scandens. 



EXPERIMENTAL COFFEE-PLANTING. 325 

I mentioned this fact to a midshipman, to whom I have just pre- 
sented one of my beans, but I fear he thought I was making game 
of him ! 

The evening was so lovely that after supper we strolled down to 
the beach, and sat beside a great bonfire of cocoa-nut shells, the 
refuse of coppra making. The ruddy glare lighted up the tall 
palm-trees, mingling with the white light of the full moon; and 
the little wavelets rippled on the sand, making a pleasant picture. 
In case you do not know what coppra is, I may as well explain 
that it is the kernel of the cocoa-nut, which is dried in the sun 
and thus prepared for exportation to the colonies, where it is sub- 
jected to such pressure as to extract the oil. It forms one of the 
largest exports from the isles. The shells and husks burn with so 
fierce a flame that they destroy any oven or machine in which they 
are used as fuel ; and though the husk would be valuable for mak- 
ing fibre, it is not considered to pay sufficiently well to make it 
worth while to import a machine. A rough-and-ready contrivance 
on a small scale has, however, been started here, where a machine 
for combing out the fibre is turned by the action of two mules, 
whose lives are spent in continually walking on a tread-mill. I do 
not mean to imply that the same animals are incessantly at work ! 

Next morning Mr Mackay, the overseer (who had already clone 
much for our entertainment, having killed the fatted fowl for 
supper, and shot a beautiful half -tame peacock for our dinner), 
now put his Mexican saddle on the donkey, and by turning over 
a flap, so as to bring both the great stirrups on one side, impro- 
vised a very good side-saddle, on which we rode by turns. We 
passed over wide extents of deserted cotton-fields, formerly under 
careful cultivation, but abandoned owing to falling prices, and the 
ravages of hurricanes. 

One of the most promising experiments now is coffee-planting. 
We saw coffee shrubs planted under the shade of cocoa - palms 
and bread-fruit trees, at an altitude not exceeding seventy to a 
hundred feet. In both these respects the practice here is at vari- 
ance with all that I have seen in Ceylon ; yet this seems to be bear- 
ing an excellent crop, and the example is already being followed on 
several plantations, and seems likely to prove a success. 1 

1 Great was the dismay and alarm of all the men who have gone into coffee when 
a most promising estate was recently found to be infested with that most grievous 
plague, the leaf disease. The estate was taken possession of by Government. All 
the bushes were burnt, the land strewed with lime, and the place put into strictest 
quarantine, no man being permitted to set foot on it without a pass. It is hoped 
that these stringent measures may have proved effectual in stamping out the 
disease, which otherwise would blast all hope of su(,oess in this now undertaking. 



326 AT HOME TN FIJI. 

At daybreak this morning I got a sketch of the fine old eevie 
grove, and at noon we started on our return, and arrived here in 
time for five o'clock tea. H.M.S. Wolverine in harbour. 



July 1, 1877. 

This morning H.M.S. Sapphire sailed for Sydney, taking Captain 
Olive, who returns to England. He purposes, however, to return 
here and settle as a planter, and hopes to buy part of Wakaya, the 
island from which we have just returned. 

July 9. 

I have had some pleasant expeditions to the reef the last few 
days, collecting strange beautiful creatures for the children's aqua- 
rium, and also for a series of ruder aquariums — buckets and tubs. 
But it is unsatisfactory work, for our loveliest creatures will die ; 
and especially Ave find that to introduce the smallest bit of beauti- 
ful coral is fatal — at least, before it is wholly bleached in the sun. 
And you cannot think how tempting it is to arrange miniature 
coral gardens of pink, blue, lemon colour, and greenish corals of 
many different forms, and, if only for one day, to watch the many 
coloured tiny fish playing among it in a great glass globe. But 
this inevitably results in our finding most of them dead next 
morning, whereas if we omit the coral the exquisite fish live for 
many days. 

July 14, 1877. 

We have for some days been very anxious about Dr Mayo (who, 
you will remember, came out with us). He has been living chiefly 
at Khandavu, to enforce the quarantine regulations on vessels call- 
ing there. A few days ago he was brought to Levuka suffering 
very seriously from dysentery, and was carried to the hospital. At 
first he seemed to improve; but clever doctors are apt to prove 
bad patients, and the present instance has been no exception. He 
became rapidly worse, and it has been decided that his only chance 
of recovery lies in immediate change to the colonies ; so he was 
carried on board the Lyeemoon, which sailed for Sydney to-day. 1 
Mr Mitchell also started. He goes to Calcutta to make arrange- 
ments about providing coolie labour for Fiji. He hopes to be able 

1 Alas ! a very few hours ended the struggle for life. Ere the vessel reached 
Sydney, one more of the little band, who in the spring of 1875 left England so full 
of high hope, had pasced away, and his body was committed to the deep. 



CORAL-REEF PERILS. 327 

to look after Dr Mayo, but is himself suffering severely from fever. 
Dr Mayo's English servant came to him from Savu Savu on hear- 
ing of his illness, but he made him return at once to take care of 
his little island, with the unfinished house and the shrubs, which 
he has imported with so much care. 

July 20, 1877. 

We have been revelling in the most heavenly weather. But as 
the thermometer has been down to 67° Fahr., a thing almost unpre- 
cedented in the tropics, of course every creature, white and brown, 
has got cold, cough, influenza, and we are all shivering in our 
English winter clothes. I have been suffering from my very first 
experience of Fijian sores, which are the curse of the land. I was 
on the reef catching the most exquisite tiny fish for the aquarium 
— pale-blue, dark-blue, bright-green, bands of black and white, but 
especially gold, with sky-blue collar — when, incautiously slipping 
my hand under a rock ledge, a horrid great sea-eel, called the dabea, 
which lives in the coral, darted out and tried to swallow my little 
finger. Happily it failed to bite it off, and I was able to drag 
back my hand, but it bled very much. I came home at once and 
soaked it in salt and brandy for fear of poison — a painful but effi- 
cacious remedy. I think the finger is going on all right. 

The wonder to me is that we do not hear of more frequent 
accidents, considering the manner in which the unshod natives are 
for ever walking on the reef, or swimming round ledges haunted 
by dangerous biting and stinging sea-beasts. The worst accidents 
I have heard of lately happened on the isles of Lakemba and 
Cicia. 

At the former a girl was diving for clam-shells, and seeing a 
very large one wide open, she extended her arms intending to 
encircle it, and so attempt to raise it. But missing her aim, she 
plunged her hand into it, instead of beneath it. In an instant it 
closed, and she was held prisoner (you know a clam is a strong 
dentated bivalve, sometimes of enormous weight). Her com- 
panions wondered at her staying below so long, and at last dived 
in search of her, and found her dead body. 

The other sad accident happened at Cicia, where a girl was on 
the coral-reef catching crabs and other treasures of the sea, and 
incautiously slipped her hand into a hole in the rock. By no 
possible means could she succeed in drawing it out again. Her 
companions were utterly unable to help her, and there the poor 
girl was kept, while gradually the tide rose and closed over her, 



328 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

and she too was drowned. Imagine the horror of feeling the tide 
slowly but steadily cresping up, and awaiting a certain death. 

I hope to see this isle of Cicia (pronounced Thithia) next week, 
as I have just made arrangements for a visit to the Windward 
Islands, which are the most easterly of the many groups into which 
the 223 Fijian isles naturally divide themselves. The two chief 
points of attraction are Loma Loma, which is the capital of the 
great Tongan chief, Maafu, and the isle of Mago, which" is the 
pattern plantation of Fiji, and is the exclusive property of Mr 
Ryder and his six sons, who all live on the island, and themselves 
attend to every detail of their own business, with the happy result, 
that throughout the most troublous times they have never ceased 
to nourish. Every one tells me that my ideas of Fiji will be most 
incomplete till I have seen Mago, and also Nandi, on Yiti Levu. 
So the first omission is now to be rectified, and the second as soon 
as occasion presents itself. Accordingly next week, -when Mr 
Eyder returns home, I am to accompany him, and see various 
places of interest on the way. 

I am sitting under the shadow of a tall group of plantains. 
^»Tow the sun has set, and I am writing by moonlight, sitting on 
the grass, which in such cold weather is scarcely prudent. So 
good night. 



CHAPTEE XXVH 

VARIOUS PLANTATIONS CROTONS FOREIGN LABOUR GREEN 

BEETLES LOMA LOMA A TONGAN COLONY HOT SPRINGS. 



On Board the Black Swan, l 
July 28, 1877. 

You see our fortunes are once more looking up. 

We have a steamer again ! — an old tub recently chartered by 
Government for this interinsular service. We left Levuka two 
clays ago, and ran across to the island of Koro, which we did not 
reach till sunset, so dared not risk going inside the reef to collect 
produce, and merely lay to, while a boat rowed ashore with the 
letters. By this time there was rather a heavy sea on, and before 
we reached the green shores of Taviuni it was very rough indeed. 
Our party included several of the most successful planters of the 



PROSPECTS OF SUGAR. 329 

group, Mr Ryder, Mr Richardson, and Mr M'Evoy. After break- 
fast we reached Selia Levu, a large sugar and maize plantation 
belonging to Messrs Richardson and Elphinston. 

Here Ave landed, and were most hospitably entertained. The 
invariable blessed hot tea - pot having dissipated a savage head- 
ache, born of steamboat, and generally restored life, I was able 
thoroughly to enjoy a long walk over the estate, through flourish- 
ing fields of sugar and maize, and was duly instructed in the 
mysteries of the sugar-mills. I had already been initiated into 
these, when on a visit to Mr Elphinston's sister, Mrs Pillans, at 
Savu Savu. There was a great quantity of produce to be shipped, 
and for some reason the punt could not be floated, so it all had to 
come off in small boat-loads, which detained us till 10 p.m. After 
sunset it rained heavily, which cannot have improved the sugar. 1 
Early this morning we passed Yatu Vara, a small lonely island, 
which is the chosen home of an American, Mr Thompson, and a 
Tahitian wife. They have adopted several Tongan children, and 
have only one labour -boy, who goes mad regularly every full 
moon. Formerly they had three foreign labour -boys, but two 
of them died of the measles, and have not been replaced. This 
Robinson Crusoe is said to have considerable capital, so I suppose 
he really chooses this existence for pleasure ! 

We next reached Cicia (pronounced Thithia), where Mr M'Evoy 
has two flourishing properties, eight miles apart. He had a good 
deal of cargo to ship, but the weather was so rough that it was as 
much as he could do to unship what he had brought with him. 

1 It may be considered a sure symptom of a reviving faith in the commercial 
prospects of Fiji, that sundry capitalists in New South Wales are at this moment, 
1880, engaged in the erection of large sugar-mills on the Rewa, Raid Raki, and 
Taviuni, while others are in prospect. That on the Rewa is the property of the 
Colonial Sugar Refining Company. All its appliances are to he of the most perfect 
description, and it is estimated that its prime cost will be £100,000, that it will 
give employment to 1U0 white men, and he capable of turning out 500 tons of 
sugar per month. So at least we may now hope that the broad acres of sugar-cane 
will no longer be left rotting in the ground lor want of mills ; and carriage will be 
made easy by the use of steam-punts capable of navigating the rivers, and so col- 
lecting produce. 

It will be strange indeed if the speaking results of collecting native taxes in 
kind, instead of, as heretofore, in coin, does not give an impetus t-» cultivators 
throughout the group. Mr J. B. Thurston, the Colonial Secretary, who from the 
time of annexation has been the strenuous advocate of this policy, says that when, 
about four years ago, he distributed his first thirty bushels of maize to be sown in 
native gardens, he was laughed at, and asked if he ever expected to see a bushel of 
that maize grown? Last year he answered the question by exporting 30,000 
bushels, and sees no reason why the amount should not ere long become 300,000. 
Already the people have been taught to raise coffee, cotton, and sugar on these 
district gardens, with the result that where five years ago the revenue derived from 
native taxes was almost nil, it last year amounted to £22,500. 



330 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

So our tine ashore was very much curtailed, which I greatly 
regret, this being by far the most attractive plantation I have seen. 
Everything is so beautifully kept — so clean and tidy in every 
cespect, indoors and out. I have seen nothing like it in Fiji. It 
was pleasant to see how delighted all Mr M'Evoy's men looked 
when they saw him return ; and he had a pleasant word for each, 
by name. He had several on board with him, who, having been 
sent back to Levuka as time-expired labour, had re-engaged them- 
selves to him ; and his kindness to them during the voyage had 
already given me a pleasant impression of the relations of master 
and servant. 

The island is very pretty — high grassy hills and deep valleys, 
richly wooded ; a palm-fringed shore, and five Fijian villages At 
one end of the isle there are high wooded crags. Mr M'Evoy's 
own house is at the further side of the isle. That where Ave landed 
is the home of Mr Borron, the Scotch overseer. The house, like 
everything about the place, is a rare model of cosiness, with its 
books and pictures, and a lovely nosegay on the table. 

Equally marked is the care bestowed on every detail out of doors, 
— the comfortable quarters provided for the foreign labourers — men 
and women having good quarters quite apart, instead of herding 
together like pigs, as they are often compelled to do. Moreover, a 
comfortable hospital — a large clean house — is provided for the sick 
— one for men and another for women — each divided into several 
wards, with tidy raised beds, and standing apart in a nice cheery 
garden. I thought of some of the slovenly discomfort I have seen 
elsewhere, and marvelled why similar care was not more common. 
The men and women here, really have a chance of improving by 
contact with the superior race. We went through the cotton- 
ginning establishment, where, as a matter of course, everything was 
in apple-pie order. 

This estate is chiefly laid out in cotton ; but for once the beauti- 
ful has not been wholly forgotten in the lucrative. The same good 
taste, which is evident in all details, has planted most rare and 
valuable crotons along the broad paths which intersect the cotton- 
fields. These and other ornamental shrubs are also carefully culti- 
vated in every available corner. Mr Borron himself brought some 
beautiful crotons from the i\ T ew Hebrides, which seem to produce 
some of the most exquisite varieties of these strange lovely shrubs, 
which there and in Eotumah attain the size of small trees. 

I believe some members of this large and very varied family are . 
to be found in each group of the Pacific, — indeed the large silvery 



ISLE OF MAGO. 331 

leaved tree with fragrant blossoms, which we know in Fiji as the 
candle-nut tree, forms a prominent feature in the foliage of all the 
tropical isles I know, including Ceylon. The variety, both of 
colour and pattern of leaf, exhibited by these plants is truly 
wonderful. In most cases the leaf is tough and glossy. In some 
species it is broad and large, in others a mere strip. Sometimes 
the strip is spiral, and in other cases is divided across the middle 
so as to form two leaves, connected by a short stem. As concerns 
colour, the crotons are of every hue that it is possible for foliage to 
assume. Some are vivid scarlet, some pure crimson, others richest 
claret colour. Then come all shades of golden -yellow and pale 
primrose, and every tint of green, from the most delicate to the 
darkest, as well as greens shaded with chocolate or maroon. In 
short, their beauty and variety seem to be without limit, and new 
specimens are constantly brought from the isles near the equator. 
Mr Thurston, the Colonial Secretary of Fiji, has devoted much care 
to collecting all the most beautiful kinds, many of which he himself 
discovered in Rotumah and other far-away isles. His garden at 
Levuka positively glows with the gorgeous colour of some of these ; 
and from his own most valuable collection he generously sends 
ample cuttings to friends and botanists in all parts of the world. 

Now we are off the isle of Mago (which you must pronounce 
Mango), and are just going ashore. As seen from the sea, it cer- 
tainly is very pretty, having a coast of steep cliffs and dense wood. 
I believe it differs from all other isles in the group, in that the 
whole centre is one great plain, admirably suited for cultivation, 
which accordingly is here carried to perfection. We have just 
passed a small isle devoted to grey rabbits, 1 and another haunted 
by flying-foxes. 

Mago, Saturday Evening. 

"We landed at Moruna, — a pretty bay, with a pleasant house and 
garden, which is the home of two of the brothers. Thence a two 
miles' muddy walk towards the centre of the isle brought us here 

1 The question whether it is desirable to introduce rabbits into the group is one 
that has caused much discussion. There are a multitude of small isles on which 
they might be reared with profit ; but with the melancholy example of the devasta- 
tion caused by their introduction into Australia, the danger is one not to be lightly 
incurred. We hear of large, on^e nourishing, stations in Victoria, which have been 
literally abandoned owing to the multitude of rabbits, where the attempt to raise- 
crops has been given up as hopeless. One estate, not far from Melbourne, formerly 
supported thirty thousand sheep. Now it scarcely yields grass for live goats ; and 
the man left in charge of the deserted house and farm-buildings has to buy meat for 
himself and fodder for his horse. No wonder that the planters of Fiji do not care 
to introduce the rabbit here. 



332 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

to the principal house, -where we were welcomed by Mr and Mrs 
Ryder, their daughter Amy, and three more sons, all cordhl and 
kind. The sixth son, Mr Thomas Ryder, has lately gone to Sydney 
with his wife and children, and I am most comfortably ensconced 
in their nice large room. At the present moment, the youngest 
son, a bright unaffected young fellow, is himself bringing up my 
luggage in his tiny punt, by some creek which I have as yet failed 
to discover. Tea has just been announced, and the letters must go 
back to the steamboat. So good-bye for the present. 



Sunday Evening, July 29. 

"We have had a pleasant idle day, and have just come in from a 
long walk, which has given me a good general idea of the place, 
The house itself is bowered with honeysuckle and roses, and the air 
is scented with orange blossoms from the trees planted near. A 
hedge of bright scarlet hybiscus separates the garden from the 
cotton -fields, and its gay blossoms decorate many of the quaint 
shaggy heads of the foreign labour. Just round the house the land 
is all under cultivation, but there are many charming pieces of 
natural wood left untouched ; and in every available corner, fruit- 
bearing trees are planted. Lime-trees in abundance, bread-fruit and 
shaddock, date-palm and cocoa-nut, patches of banana and jiapaw, 
and broad fields of maize, yams, taro, and sweet potato, — for the 
multitude which have to be daily fed is very great, and the island 
depends upon its own produce. Whether the date-palm will bear 
fruit in this latitude is a question as yet unsolved ; but a consider- 
able number of young trees have been raised, and promise well. 
Coffee also thrives ; and even the cotton-fields of Mago flourish as 
of old. Indeed among all the vicissitudes that have so sorely 
depressed and temporarily ruined trade in Fiji, this plantation has 
been uniformly prosperous, — a condition ascribed chiefly to the ex- 
ceeding care bestowed on it by its large family of owners. x 

In the course of our walk we passed over a good deal of grassy 
land, fragrant with lilac orchids, not unlike those of England. Then 
we wandered up a sheltered valley, planted entirely with fine bread- 
fruit trees. It is enclosed by high wooded cliffs, and is a delight- 
fully shady retreat from the heat of the noonday sun. Here we 

1 The sea-island cotton from Mago has now earned a world-wide reputation. It 
has gained the gold medal both at the Paris and Philadelphia International Exhibi- 
tions. That Fijian cotton should receive such high honour in America is indeed a 
triumph. 



PIG-HUNTING. 333 

explored a cave in which, the natives used to conceal their dead, 
and near it was a favourite spot for cannibal feasts in olden days. 

This isle of Mago was formerly tributary to Somo Somo, the 
chiefs and people of which, as I have already told you, were noted 
throughout Fiji for their exceeding ferocity. When Christianity 
first began to make progress among the inhabitants of Mago, they 
were subjected to fierce persecution for their faith, as were also the 
people of the great isle of Yanua Mbalavu (the Long Land), which 
we see from here. As usual, however, the converts stood firm, 
and their numbers rapidly increased, notwithstanding the cruelty 
of the Somo Somo chiefs. 

Now Maafu, the Tongan chief, reigns supreme at Loma Loma, 
the capital of Yanua Mbalavu (though now, of course, subject to 
England); and Mago belongs exclusively to the Messrs Eyder, the 
chiefs having agreed to sell the whole island, and remove the popu- 
lation bodily. Consequently no Fijians now remain here, and the 
island is worked by about 300 foreign labour — wild-looking men, 
gathered from all the most uncivilised groups near the Equator — 
the Tokalau, Marshall, and Gilbert Isles, Solomon Isles, Tanna, New 
Hebrides, and many another far-away home — the most motley 
group you can conceive, but many of them intelligent and hard- 
working. In apportioning their quarters, the different nations 
seem to keep quite separate, and a certain number have wives 
and families. 

They stop work early on Saturday, and are allowed perfect 
liberty to spend the afternoon and the whole of Sunday as they 
please. They have free leave to roam all over the island in search 
of game, or to take out the canoes and fish on the reef. Of course 
they do not fail to avail themselves of so good an opportunity of 
adding to their rations, to say nothing of indulging their natural 
love of sport. There is an immense number of wild pigs on this 
isle, the descendants of imported pigs which have run wild in the 
bush. .So a regular hunt is organised every Sunday morning, and 
to-day the sportsmen returned in triumph, having bagged thirty 
pigs, and they are now preparing a grand feast. 

I have been inquiring as to the truth of stories we have heard 
of the way in which the men of the New Hebrides catch sharks. 
I am told it is strictly true — th.it they actually dive below the 
shark, and, in so doing, slip a noose round its tail, then rising to 
the surface, haul it ashore by main force. Certainly these men arc 
almost as much at home in the sea as on land. 



334 AT HOME IN FIJI, 



Mago. August 3. 

We have had several days of incessant rain, and all the lowlands 
ire flooded. At last this morning it cleared just a little, and I 
determined to secure a sketch of the lovely little inner harbour, 
which is so curiously enclosed by two encircling arms of wooded 
cliff, that there is literally only just room for a boat to sail in. 
Once inside, there she lies safe in the wildest storms, with water 
four fathoms deep — the snuggest berth you can possibly conceive, 
and a quiet refuge for a multitude of wild duck, which find safe 
breeding-ground in the mangroves which fringe the shore, and the 
roots of which form an oyster-bed. One of the theories concerning 
this curious island (which is shaped somewhat like a flat dish, with 
a high rim of coralline rocks enclosing the level arable lands), is, 
that it was originally an atoll — that is, a coral ring enclosing a sea- 
lake — and that the whole having been upheaved by volcanic action, 
the waters of the lagoon burst this narrow passage through the 
encircling rock, and so drained the central plateau. Looking down 
on the scene from any high point, this theory very naturally sug- 
gests itself, and is further supported by the presence of crags of the 
hardest igneous rock, which appear to have been forced up through 
the original coral. 

As a desirable sketching-ground, I had noted a high point on the 
wooded crag above the bay, from which I was certain the view must 
be splendid. The difficulty was to reach it. However, two of my 
hosts agreed to escort me, and took with them two New Hebrides 
men, who helped to clear a track, and open up the view, which was 
most lovely, overlooking not only the blue harbour, with its setting 
of rich foliage and crag, but the coral reefs beyond it, and the far- 
away land of Loma Loma. I contrived to perch on a very uncom- 
fortable rock, made up of hard spikes, and secured my drawing, 
while my companions went beating about the rocks till they started 
a wild sow with five young ones. The New Hebrides men gave 
chase ; they caught two little pigs alive, and carried them home 
rejoicing. One of these men has his hair dressed in a series of 
hard round balls the size of a large orange, which look just as if he 
had plastered them with pitch ; while on the crown of the head the 
hair stands up in a wild fuzz, in which he wears a long wooden 
comb. 

As we were coming down the hill, we came on a marvellous 
swarm of metallic blue-and-green beetles, with heads and underside 
o-olden, — just the same insect as our ladybirds. I have found these 



SWARM OF BLUE LADYBIRDS. 335 

in all corners of the earth, and in every variety of colour, but no- 
where have I seen anything in the slightest degree resembling this 
swarm. The beetles hung in dense clusters on palm-fronds and 
stems, on the vines hanging from tree to tree, and on both sides of 
every leaf, so that not one atom of green could be seen The palm- 
trees seemed dressed in coats of mail of shining blue steel ; and the 
vines were like solid ropes of emeralds and sapphires, with golden 
setting, the gold being the head of the ladybird. There must have 
been many millions of these living gems, for they covered a space 
of nearly half an acre in the forest, which truly suggested some 
wonderful tale of fairyland, with real fairy jewel- trees, where, 
instead of stupid dead minerals, the gems are all alive, ready to 
fly away from covetous human touch. They were in such dense 
masses that the shrubs were quite weighed down by them, and 
when we shook a bough to make them fly off, it sprang up quite 
light. They did not seem to be doing any harm. Certainly it was 
a very pretty glimpse of fairyland. I have brought down a num- 
ber of the living sapphires, hoping to preserve them, alive or dead 



Augiist 12. 

It has gone on raining almost without intermission, and every- 
thing is damp and mildewed. The fresh supply of new drawing- 
paper I got just before starting is one mass of mildew. The clothes 
hanging up on pegs feel quite clammy : even the handle of my 
umbrella is covered with green mould. We cannot go one step 
out of the verandah without picking up pounds of mud on our feet. 
I am told that for the last three months there has been literally no 
rain, and loads of fruit of all sorts. Now there is no fruit, but any 
amount of rain ; so I am unlucky. But we are very cosy and happy 
indoors, and my only regret is not being able to explore the many 
pretty spots on the isle. 

I managed to get back to the gem-mine in the enchanted forest. 
There I found the fairy jewels as thick as before, still clustered in 
dense swarms on every leaf and stem. On the same hill I found 
four kinds of land-snails, two of which are new to me Two of my 
hosts are keen naturalists, and have shown me many things of 
interest — animate and inanimate. All the brethren are as busy as 
bees from morning till night, personally overseeing the work of 
their 300 men. No wonder their estate prospers. 



336 AT HOME IN FIJI. 



August 18. 

At last the clouds have relented, and we have had se^ eral days of 
glorious weather. I have been taken to see and to sketch magnifi- 
cent old Fiji banyan-trees, on cliffs and in the heart of the forest. 
And one evening there was a muster of the foreign labour for my 
benefit. We went to their quarters to see them all dance and make 
merry. Most of them are hideous, and their dances are strange and 
uncouth — utterly devoid of grace. Certainly, from an aesthetic 
point of view, these races are as inferior to those of Fiji, Tonga, 
and Samoa, as the Australian blacks are to the noble Maoris of 
"New Zealand. 

Of course the poverty which induced these people to forsake 
their own homes, and accept a lot of exile and servitude, accounts 
for their possessing few or no articles of personal adornment ; but 
I noticed one woman from Tanna who had her ears literally covered 
with tortoise-shell ear-rings — some passed through the others like 
links, so that she carried fully twenty on each ear. Others had large 
metal ear-rings, apparently of lead, and of such weight as to drag 
down the lobe of the ear to a length of several inches. Some 
women's ears were actually torn in two by this weight, and the 
flesh hung in strips — a painful sacrifice to fashion. 

Many, both men and women, had devoted great care to their 
hairdressing, which was grotesque in the extreme. My especial 
friend, whose hair was dressed like balls plastered with pitch, 
seemed nowise remarkable among his quaint neighbours — some of 
whom had elaborate twists and plaits and rolls, though others left 
their wild, unkempt shock-heads as rough as uncombed, unbrushed 
nature could make them. 

For many days past we have been waiting and watching for the 
chance of some means of getting to Yanua Mbalavu, the long blue 
island which lies on the horizon; but the weather has been so 
stormy that we have not seen a sail, and almost despair of doing 
so. It would be rather a fiasco to return to 2s r asova without hav- 
ing seen Loma Loma; but at present it seems likely to be my 
fate, as the monthly steamer will call here in a few days on her 
way from Loma Loma to Levuka. 

Dali Doni, Vanua, Mbalavu, 
August 21. 

This morning was very rainy and blowy. To our amazement, 
just after breakfast, a gentleman walked in, having come up from 



DALI DONI. 337 

Moruna to say that Mr Hennings had come across from Loma 
Loma in his little schooner to fetch Miss Eyder and myself. 
There was no option of delay on account of wind or rain ; so we 
packed at once, and a detachment of foreign labour came up to 
carry our luggage over the steep muddy hill which lay between us 
and the anchorage. We found it sufficiently hard work to carry 
ourselves, so slippery was the ground. The strong gale was in our 
favour, and the little vessel flew before the wind. Less than two 
hours carried us from reef to reef, over a distance which often 
takes many hours, sometimes days. So now we have reached the 
long island ; the little schooner is safely anchored inside the reef, 
and we are spending a night at this very pretty place — the pro- 
perty of Mr Levick, whose married overseer has given us hospi- 
table welcome. 

Losia Losia, August 24, 1877. 

"We left Dali Doni at daybreak, and sailed to Mbalavu, where 
Mr Hennings has an estate, Here we climbed a steep hill, passing 
through much luxuriant forest, and some patches of cultivation. 
From the summit we had a most lovely view of the harbour, which 
is quite unique, from the multitude of little rocky isles which dot 
its surface, all densely wooded. But so strongly has the ceaseless 
wash of the tide marked its level, that it is vain to land on any of 
these, as the overhanging ledge of rock makes it impossible to 
ascend at any point. We halted at this beautiful spot long enough 
to allow me to make a careful drawing of the scene, and then went 
on to the house of the overseer, where a fine roast turkey awaited 
us for luncheon. Then down another steep hill, to the beautiful 
blue sea, of which we caught glimpses, framed by great forest-trees 
and vines. Here lay the little vessel, with white sails flapping. 
She had sailed round from the other side of the island, but the 
wind had fallen, and ere we reached her she was becalmed. So 
we took the small boat and rowed through a most lovely bay, past 
richly wooded islands and steep rocky headlands, till we came to 
the plantation of Mr Yecsey, a Hungarian, married to a handsome 
Tongan woman, with two pretty, merry children. Here we were 
most hospitably entertained ; but according to custom, the native 
wife would not sit at table with us, but waited near, and attended 
to our wants. 

In the bright early morning we started to explore the neigh- 
bourhood, and when the sun rose high we followed a clear streamlet 
overshadowed by dark eevie trees, and inhabited by thousands of 

Y 



338 AT HOME IN FIJI. 



« 



•spiral black shells two inches long, with a very sharp point. I had 
seen these in collections, but always with the point broken off, and 
had heard it gravely asserted that this particular shell had always 
an obtuse end. So it was rather a triumph to find all these, and I 
carried off a number. On the .sunny streamlet floated the fragrant 
white blossoms of the shaddock, whose boughs, fruit-laden, over- 
hung the water. We gathered branches of the sweet blossoms, and 
feasted on the huge orange-like fruit — which, however, is of very 
uncertain excellence, some trees bearing juicy and delicious fruit, 
while others are very dry, with a flavour of turpentine. 

After breakfast (at which we had a capital broth of shell-fish, 
something like cockles, boiled with rice) we once more embarked 
with a light breeze, and in the afternoon arrived here. This town, 
which is spoken of throughout the group as the pattern of order 
and neatness, is true to its reputation. It is a large, very clean, 
and tidy village of thatched houses. Slight peculiarities, such as 
the gable ends being round instead of flat, at once prove them to 
be the homes of Tongans — -i.e., colonists from the Friendly Isles. 

We were most kindly welcomed by Mr and Mrs Levick to a 
liome, not only comfortable, but with all the graces of ornamental 
civilisation. In the evening we wandered along the shore in the 
moonlight, and turned aside to see the Botanic Garden, which is 
under the especial care of our host, and where the collection of 
crotons is particularly good. 

At early dawn, tempted by the low rippling of the water on the 
white sea-beach, just beyond the lawn, we ventured on the rare 
luxury of a sea-bath, in defiance of the sharks ; and, encouraged by 
their non-appearance, we now repeat this indulgence every morning, 
while troops of pretty brown children disport themselves around us, 
swimming and diving like fishes. . Our hostess has one charming 
little girl, whose principal ambition is -to walk into the sea up to 
her neck, whenever she has been dressed with the greatest care ! 

We devoted our first morning here to rowing along the beautiful 
shores, and exploring many creeks and inlets, which form secure 
harbours, walled round by overhanging volcanic rock, and dotted 
with picturesque islands. All are densely wooded, and tempting to 
explore, but they are so water- worn that we rowed in and out and 
all round, one after another, for several hours, before finding one 
place where we could possibly land. At last we discovered a little 
sandy bay, where we spread our luncheon in the cool shade of 
glittering leaves, hoping afterwards to make our way to some high 
p^'nt whence we could look down on the scene. We also wished 



A FIJIAN SOLOMON. 339 

to discover some old native fortifications, which we knew to ba 
perched somewhere far above us. Lut we failed to discover any 
track ; and the dense growth of tropical vegetation was altogether 
impenetrable, so we rowed quietly back to a pretty island just 
facing the town, and there lingered till sunset. 

On my return I found that the Lady Eleanor, Maafu's wife, had, 
at his bidding, prepared a mangete — that is, a feast — for me, which 
had been sent to the bouse during my absence; arid my host, un- 
heeding native custom, had, most unfortunately, refused to admit 
it. I was exceedingly annoyed, knowing how dire an insult this 
would be considered, but persuaded him to accompany me in the 
evening to Maafu's house, to call and smooth matters. Properly 
speaking, notice of our coming should have been sent, and I fear 
that Lady Eleanor and her ladies were not much pleased at being 
taken unawares, and en deshabille. However, she is a very fine old 
lady, and we parted excellent friends. Maafu himself had just 
started for Levuka. He is a splendid man, stalwart and stately ; 
and whenever I have seen him he has always been dressed in native 
tappa, thrown round his waist in handsome heavy folds. He has 
the proud bearing of his race, for among the Tongans even the 
common people walk as if they scorn the ground they tread on. 
Maafu (or the Eoko Tui Lau, which is his official title) has ev*er 
been noted for the strength of character and vigour of action 
whereby he secured his position as the great chief of this district. 

"We heard rather an amusing instance of his shrewdness in deal- 
ing with a fanatical sect which most strangely sprang into existence 
on one of his isles — Matuku. Several men and one woman declared 
themselves to be angels, and began to hold re igious services, and 
to extract money from their converts, even administering corporal 
punishment to those who failed to obey their precepts. Their 
audacity won them many followers, till Maafu arrived in person, 
and summoned the angels to answer for themselves. The woman 
brought, an angelic baby, whereupon Maafu asked her if it was 
hers, and if she was married, and if she really thought she was an 
angel, all which questions she answered in the affirmative. Where- 
upon he asked her if she couldn't read her Bible, and referred her 
to St Matthew to prove that angels do not marry, whereas she had 
not only married, but had a baby ! He dismissed her amid the 
derision of her late disciples, and, having equally turned the men 
to ridicule (of all things most dreaded by a Fijian), he sentenced 
them to work on the roads as rogues and vagabonds, and so the 
new sect collapsed. 



340 AT HOME IN" FIJI. 

Both Maafu and his wife are stanch supporters of the Wesleyan 
Church, to which we found our way on Sunday morning at 8 A.M. 
There had already been a service at 6 a.m., which probably accounted 
for the attendance being somewhat meagre. The building is of the 
usual Fijian pattern, with thatched roof and matted floor, and many 
open doorways, — a style of architecture which is always airy and 
appropriate ; but the ends of the church are circular, after the Ton- 
gan fashion. The meeting seemed lacking in the perfect simplicity 
of a Fijian service; and our tendency to laugh was only conquered 
by our disgust, on seeing a regular verger, armed with a long stick, 
who periodically rose from his knees and walked about administer- 
ing a resounding blow to any young woman who was not doubled 
up, at what he chose to consider the orthodox angle of devotion ; 
while right in front of the pulpit was placed a bench, on which sat 
a row of the principal men, all dressed in hideous black coats and 
trousers, and who (doubtless from the same fear of injuring the 
latter which so strongly affects white men) never pretended to 
kneel at all ; but the verger took care not to see them, and con- 
fined his disciplinarian attentions to the women. 

We returned in the afternoon to a service for children, which was 
pretty, the young voices singing very sweetly. 

The spread of Christianity in the groups on this side of the 
Fijian archipelago has been marked by the same quiet and unob- 
trusive but most steady advance which has been so strangely char- 
acteristic of its work throughout these isles. I told you the story 
of Ono, where the people, having gathered some dim idea of the 
Unknown God, induced a heathen priest to offer on their behalf 
(though not on his own) the first words of Christian prayer uttered 
on the lonely little isle of Ono, which so quickly became a centre of 
strength to the mission. As in apostolic days, the converts straight- 
way went forth to make known in other isles the new religion 
of peace and love. One of these Fijian apostles started, like the 
others, in his little canoe, and sailed a distance of wellnigh 300 
miles, till he reached Oneata, an isle lying about twenty milss to 
the south-east of Lakemba, where the first white missionaries had 
landed, and where Mr Calvert was then living alone, having only 
arrived in Fiji about a year previously, as yet knowing little of the 
people or their language, and yet endeavouring, with the help of 
the Tongan teachers, to establish stations not only in the thirteen 
towns on the large isles of Lakemba, but also on the twenty-four 
isles (some 140 miles apart) which form that group. Few indeed 
were the labourers in so wide a field. 



341 

Gladly was the new teacher from Ono welcomed. Socn one of 
the chiefs of Oneata was convinced of the truth, and himself under- 
took to persuade others ; and so, one by one, new converts were 
added to the faith, and others would fain have declared themselves, 
but dreaded the wrath of the king of Lakemba, to whom Oneata 
was tributary, and who had strictly forbidden any of his people 
to adopt the new religion. Great was the amazement of all, when 
a heathen priest arrived, bearing a message from the king, to say 
that as so many had become Christians, he wished all the inhabi- 
tants of the isle would do so, as it was for the good of the people 
that all should be of one mind ! 

These men of Oneata were an industrious and enterprising race, 
singularly independent in character, and much given to trading 
with other isles. Now each canoe, as it went forth on its ordi- 
nary business, became a little mission ship; and the sailors of 
Oneata seemed never weary of teaching others all that they had 
learnt, and urging them to adopt the new religion. 

Amongst other isles where they were wont to trade was this 
isle of Yanua Mbalavu, lying about ninety miles to the north of 
Oneata. Landing here at Loma Loma, their first convert was a 
chief of the name of Mbukarau, a rough and powerful man, and 
strong of purpose. Hearing that there were Tongan teachers at 
Lakemba, he at once got ready his canoe, and sailed thither, a 
distance of seventy miles, to ask for a teacher for himself and his 
people. One was sent ; and soon they were joined by a little 
company of nine persons, and these gradually increased to quite 
a large congregation, and the new converts in their turn went and 
taught their neighbours at Yaro. Vanua Mbalavu has a popula- 
tion of about 3000 persons, and is divided into two distinct pro- 
vinces — Loma Loma and Yaro. A cruel war having broken out 
between these, the Christians of both districts desired to keep 
themselves clear of it, and appealed to the king of Yaro for per- 
mission to settle on the little isle of Munia, where they might 
continue neutral. This request was granted, and to the astonish- 
ment of all, the king of Yaro sent a message to the inhabitants of 
Munia, recommending them to lotu, and to abandon their fortresses 
in the mountains, and come down to live peacefully witli the Chris- 
tians, on the sea board. So, strange to say, this purely Christian 
colony was founded by the advice of a heathen king, and soon a 
new town was built on the most favourable site ; its people were 
permitted to sail wherever they wished, without hindrance, exempt 
from the dangers and claims of war ; and Munia was accounted a 



342 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

sacred city of refuge, where any persons, fleeing from either of the 
fighting districts, were in safety. So they cultivated their lands 
in peace, but did not fail in their zealous endeavours to spread 
the good tidings further and further among the outlying isles. 
Amongst those whom they thus sought to influence were the people 
of Thikombia, a rocky island, distant about twelve miles, all 
the inhabitants of which lived in one town on the top of a high 
crag, the face of which was a sheer precipice, on the brink of 
which many generations of children had been reared in perfect 
safety — no one having ever fallen over. These people heard and 
believed, and thenceforth from that rocky home the voice of Chris- 
tian worship arose continually. And so from isle to isle the faith 
continued to spread, notwithstanding waves of bitter persecution 
which from time to time were raised by those who continued 
heathen. We have seen those isles of Munia and Thikombia, but 
have not been very near them. 

Within a short distance of Loma Loma lies a group of hot 
springs, which, though on a very small scale, are of course interest- 
ing. Here, as at Savu Savu, some of them lie actually below 
high-water mark, but the two principal ones are in a deep gorge — 
a wilderness of almost inaccessible rocks, hidden by huge fallen 
boulders and interlacing vines. They must have been discovered 
by the merest accident, and we needed a good guide to show us 
where they lay. It was a difficult piece of rock-scrambling, but 
sufficiently interesting to repay the toil. 

I think I have already mentioned that we only know of four 
places now existing in the group where there is evidence of the 
internal action of fire — namely, the springs at Savu Savu in Viti 
Levu, a very hot stream on the western side of the same isle, the 
boiling springs at ISTgau, and these at Loma Loma. 

We returned by Maafu's excellent road, by far the best as yet 
constructed in the group. A bevy of nice Fijian girls escorted 
us, and pointed out, with much wonder, a small boat in which a 
party of Samoans, weary of the strife in their own land, have ven- 
tured to come all the way across the sea. It is a sort of whale- 
boat, stitched with sinnet — i.e., native string of cocoa-nut fibre. I 
do not know the exact distance between the two groups, but it 
cannot be under 1000 miles. So I think the girls might well 
wonder at the bold islesmen who ventured on such a journey in a 
little open boat. 

I spent part of the next day in a quiet valley, sketching a 
native cemetery, with the usual draceena and other red -leaved 



A DOG IN THE MANGEfU 343 

plants, and tidy graves, many of which are thickly strewn with 
small green stones, brought from some distant isle : others are 
covered over with white wave-worn pebbles or white coral. 



On Board the Black Swan, 
August 30. 

Our departure was rather hurried by the unexpected arrival of 
the steamer a day before its time. We have retraced the route by 
which we came, calling at Mago, where Miss Eyder rejoined her 
family, and at various points in Taviuni, where I had glimpses of 
several friends, and a pleasant evening at the mission. I have been 
much edified by hearing the conversation of an Anglo-Fijian of the 
old type — a man who was not ashamed to entertain his audience 
with anecdotes of his own kidnapping exploits and those of others, 
of whom he spoke with much approbation. He referred to the 
wretched victims as if they had been so many rats. Every such 
anecdote I hear, makes me wonder less that the actions of such 
miscreants should have led to reprisals which have resulted in the 
loss of precious lives, like those of Bishop Patteson and Com- 
modore Goodenough. The speaker went on to boast of other 
noble deeds by which some of his white friends had lent their 
elevating influence to the dark races, mentioning one planter espe- 
cially, Mr L x, who, finding himself utterly unable to make 

the rapid fortune he expected by his estate, abandoned it ; but ere 
ridding the country of his presence, he set to work to cut down all 
the bread-fruit trees (none of Ms planting !), determined that no 
one else should profit by what he could not enjoy. Could a more 
diabolical mind be conceived 1 Certainly if the establishment of a 
strong-handed government in the country has no other effect than 
to drive such men as these out 'of it, it will not have worked in 
vain. The speaker seemed ready to favour us with many more 
anecdotes of the past, but my expression of unmitigated disgust 
unfortunately stayed the stream, which I now regret, as it is as 
well to know facts, instead of only the vague rumours, which one 
is apt to suppose exaggerated, like objects seen looming large 
through a mist. 

August 31. 

Last night we anchored off Koro, to take in a cargo of arrowroot 
and other produce. I spent the night with Mrs Chalmers and her 
daughters, and at six o'clock this morning they brought me on 



344 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

board. Now we are nearing Ovalau, our island home, which, as 
usual, is looking lovely. The flag flying at ISTasova tells me Sir 
Arthur is at home. There are a good many vessels in harbour, 
amongst others a large French man-of-war — the first we have seen 
since we came here. I see the gig coming from Nasova to fetch 
me, with the cheery bronze crew, in their white and crimson 
liveries. 

Nasova, Sept. 1. 

To-day being the anniversary of annexation, three years ago, is 
a red-letter day, and public holiday. The races last May were 
voted such a success, that another race-meeting was held to-day, 
and a very pretty scene it was, the lovely valley looking its very 
best. All the officers from the French man-of-war, Le Seignelay, 
were there, and were greatly amused. Several dined here last 
night — a pleasant, gentleman -like set. The vessel is at present 
taking the Roman Catholic Bishop of Samoa, Monseigneur Elloi, 
on a tour of inspection of all places under his jurisdiction. Both 
he and Commandant Aube, who is a very fine specimen of the old 
French school, have been here a good deal, and seem to be very 
much liked. Their visit is a pleasant episode, as they have seen so 
much of exceeding interest in the isles they have already visited. 
Their descriptions of scenery are tantalising. 

September 4. 

To-day Lady Gordon has had a great luncheon-party of about 
forty people, and now they are all playing lawn-tennis on the 
green. As for me, I am preparing for- a wonderful and delightful 
trip. For the last few days our French friends have been urging 
me to complete " Le tour de la Mission " in the Seignelay, — and 
so, see and sketch many lovely isles, which, under no other circum- 
stances, could I possibly visit. Of course, at first I treated the 
suggestion as simply a polite form; but we found it was made 
thoroughly in earnest, de bon coeur, and by one and all, — espe- 
cially by the occupant of the very best cabin, which had actually 
been prepared for me before I dreamt of accepting it. At last 
we were all so thoroughly convinced that the invitation was per- 
fectly genuine, that Sir Arthur has consented to my going, and 
to-morrow we sail for Tonga, and then Samoa, where I am to visit 
a friend, who is wife of the Consul, and has sent me many invita- 
tions. Thence I am to return here. 

Such at least is my intention. But my land new friends scout 



LEGEND OF RAT AND CUTTLE-FISH. 345 

the idea of my turning back before we reach Tahiti, of which they 
speak as of a dream of indescribable loveliness. Whether I may be 
tempted to proceed there, I cannot possibly tell. Certainly I am made 
to feel as if I were conferring a favour, instead of what I feel to be 
accepting so great a one. We sail to-morrow, therefore it may be a 
good while before you next hear from me. So good-bye for the 
present. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

NOTES ON FIJIAN FOLK-LORE — LEGEND OF THE RAT AND CUTTLE-FISH : THE 
CRANE AND THE CRAB : ESSAY OF ROAST PIG : OF GIGANTIC BIRDS — ■ 
SERPENTS WORSHIPPED AS INCARNATE GODS — SACRED STONES WOR- 
SHIPPED— MYTHOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT. 

It has been a matter of great regret to me that I found so very few 
opportunities of hearing the legends and fables which I believe 
abound throughout these isles. The few persons who have chanced 
to learn them from the natives were generally too busy to tell them, 
— still more, unable to spare time to write them down, as I in- 
variably asked them to do. Those I did hear were fanciful, and 
often poetic. 

When I was staying on the island of Ngau, I succeeded in buy- 
ing some curious specimens of the bait used for cuttle-fish. It is a 
very fair imitation of a rat, made of the backs of two brown cow- 
ries, with a heavy stone between them, — a small brown cowrie to 
represent the head, and a wooden tail. The shells are bored and 
tied together with sinnet. Wishing to learn the origin of so quaint 
a device, we inquired of our host, Zacheusa — a fine old Fijian 
teacher, who did good work among the Kai Tholos in the early 
days of the lotu, and who knows many legends. What he told us 
was as follows : — 

" A rat one day fell off a canoe into the sea, and landed on the 
head of a cuttle-fish, greatly to the alarm of both. The cuttle-fish 
was going to shake off the rat, when the latter prayed him to show 
mercy on him, and to carry him to a place where his grandfather 
and grandmother were waiting for him. So the kind cuttle-fish 
©warn on and on, till he was very weary ; but the rat enjoyed this 
new mode of travel, and urged him to go on further and further. 
At last they neared a grassy bank, which was just where the rat 



346 AT HOME IX FIJI. 

wished to land ; but being an ungenerous animal himself, he feared 
the cuttle-fish would play him some trick, so he cried, ' Oh, please, 
do not land me there : I shall surely die.' Eut the cuttle-fish, 
being weary of him, swam straight to the bank, whereupon the rat 
jumped ashore, and instead of thanking his kind deliverer, he ran 
away jeering. So now the cuttle-fish hates the rat, and is always 
on the watch to seize him and punish him." And this is why the 
fisher-folk of Xgau make rats of cowrie-shells to bait their nets. 

Here is a kindred fable, quoted from Sir Arthur Gordon's private 
journal : — 

"In Camp, Nasancoko, July 18, 1876. . . . — After yangona 
in the evening, all the party began to tell fables. ' The crane and 
the crab,' say the Fijians, ' quarrelled as to their powers of racing. 
The crab said he would go the fastest, and that the crane might fly 
across from point to point, while he went round by the shore. The 
crane flew off, and the crab stayed quietly in his hole, trusting to 
the multitude of his brethren to deceive the crane. The crane flew 
to the first point, and seeing a crab-hole, put down his ear, and 
heard a buzzing noise. " That slave is here before me," said he, and 
flew on to the next point. Here the same thing happened, till at 
last, on reaching a point above Serua, the crane fell exhausted, and 
was drowned in the sea.' 

" Eatu Tabusakiu capped this by an almost exactly similar story, 
— only in this case the competition was between a crane and a 
butterfly. The latter challenged the crane to fly to Tonga, tempt- 
ing him to do so by asking if he was fond of shrimps. The butter- 
fly kept resting on the crane's back, without the crane knowing it, 
and whenever the bird looked round and said to himself, ' That 
Jcaisi (low-born) fellow is gone ; I can rest and fly slowly now, 
without fear of his overtaking me,' the butterfly would leave his 
back and fly a little way ahead, saying, 'Here I am. cousin,' till 
the poor bird died exhausted; and the butterfly, who had no longer 
his back to rest on, perished also." 

Equally charming is a legend told to me in the mountains of 
Viti Levn, which suggests that Charles Lamb must have visited 
Fiji ere he wrote the ' Essays of Elia.' for here is a native version 
of the " Essay of Roast Pig " ! The legend tells how, many many 
years ago, there had been a fight at Xandronga, and the dead bodies 
of the slain were laid under the overhanging eaves of a house till 
the living had time to bury thein. The house accidentally took 
fire and was burnt down, and the bodies were of course roasted. 
The chief ordered that they should be removed, and the men who 



34? 

lifted them burnt their fingers : they instinctively put their hands 
to their mouths, licked, and liked the flavour. They called to their 
friends, who followed suit ; and thus the people of the isles dis- 
covered how excellent a thing is roast flesh, — a fact which they 
had previously had no chance of testing, as, with the exception of 
a small rat, no animal of any sort existed on any of the isles, till 
the men of Tonga imported pigs. Thus it was that cannibalism 
originated in the isles. So says the legend of J^andronga. 

A few legends, forming the subject of popular mekes, have 
happily been preserved by the Rev. Thomas Williams. One of 
these tells of a crab so large that it grasped a man in its claw, but 
he fortunately slipped through between the forceps, and so escaped 
injury. Another man ventured to climb on to the monster's back, 
and paid dear for his temerity, being dashed to pieces by a stroke 
from a claw. That must have been a curiously constructed crab ! 
He quotes another which tells of a gigantic bird called " Duck of 
the Rock," which carried off Tutu Wathi Wathi, the beautiful wife 
of the god Okova, and sister to Rokoua, while she was fishing on 
the reef at Nai Thombo Thombo. The gods started in a large 
canoe to search for the lady, and they came to an island inhabited 
only by goddesses, who spent their lives in pleasant sport. Rokoua 
suggested that they might as well remain here, and give up their 
vain quest for Okova's lost love ; but the faithful husband scouted 
the idea, and insisted on sailing to the Yasawas, the most westerly 
isles of the group. Here they found the cave in which lived the 
terrible bird. But the cave was empty, for the bird was fishing ; 
and they found only one little finger of Tutu Wathi Wathi. Yet 
this Okova cherished as a special relic, and swore to avenge her 
death. Presently they saw the devourer approach, and his vast 
wings darkened the face of the sun. In his beak he carried five 
large turtles, and in his talons ten porpoises, which he at once pro- 
ceeded to eat. Then Okova prayed to three other gods to aid him 
by causing the wind to blow ; and immediately a gust blew back 
the feathers of the monster's tail, and Rokoua instantly struck his 
spear through it vitals. So great was the bird that, though the 
spear was very long, it was entirely lost in its body. They took 
one of its smallest feathers to make a new canoe sail, not venturing 
to risk the use of a large feather. They then cast the dead bird 
into the sea, causing such a surge as to "flood the foundation of 
the sky." So having accomplished their just vengeance, they 
Bailed safely back to ISTai Thombo Thombo. 

It seems strange, in writing of a country so recently pagan, to 



348 AT HOME EN" FIJL 

have no occasion to allude to the religion of the past. This is 
partly because the idols were few and insignificant. The different 
gods dwelt enshrined in all manner of animals — fish, birds, reptiles, 
— and even plants. The hawk, the shark, the land-crab, fowl, eel, 
and, above all, the serpent, were thus held in reverence. 

Of the latter, very few specimens are to be found in Fiji (so few, 
that during my two years of continual travel and observation in 
the isles, I have only seen two, both of which were gliding among 
rocks on the sea-shore). These reptiles were worshipped under 
different names in the various isles of the group. In some places, 
when one was found it was anointed with cocoa-nut oil, and left 
at liberty. In others it was reverently carried to the temple, and 
there laid on a bed of native cloth and solemnly anointed and fed. 

Under this form was worshipped Xdengei, the supreme god and 
creator of all things. He it was who sent a great deluge to punish 
the sin of his rebellious people ; he also revealed fire by teaching 
two of his human sons to rub two pieces of wood together. His 
temple was at Eaki Eaki, a cave on the north-east of Titi Levu, 
whither the people carried great offerings. One sacrifice is recorded 
of two hundred pigs and one hundred turtles. But the most 
acceptable sacrifices were human ; and men have been known to 
slay their own wives, rather than fail to propitiate the giver of 
yams. The offerings were laid before the mouth of the cave, and 
the priests crawled in on hands and knees. If the prayer were 
granted, they reappeared all wet to show that needful rain-showers 
would fall. Of course if the omen failed, subsequent sins were 
alleged as the cause of failure in the compact. 

Xdengei was supposed to love silence, therefore the noisy bats 
near his cave were banished ; the potters were likewise dismissed 
to small islands, purposely created for them ; and women going to 
fetch water from the sacred mount were enjoined to be silent, else 
their food would turn into serpents. 

There appears reason to suppose that the serpent was commonly 
worshipped throughout the Pacific — certainly in the Friendly or 
Tongan Isles. When (a.d. 1830) Mr Williams visited this group, 
he touched at a small isle near Tongatabu, and found a nest of sea- 
snakes. He bade his men kill the largest as a specimen. At the 
next island where they touched they carried it ashore, and prepared 
to dry it, but the fishermen (who were preparing their nets) raised 
a terrific yell, and seizing their clubs rushed upon the Christian 
natives, shouting, " You have killed our god ! " Williams stepped 
between the two parties, and with difficulty restrained their vio- 



SERPENTS WORSHIPPED. 340 

lence, on condition that the reptile should at once be carried back 
to the boat. 

The Fijian gods seemed to have fully appreciated the blessings 
of quiet. Eaitumaibulu, lord of life, god of the crops, was especi- 
ally careful of his own comfort in this respect. During the month 
of December (midsummer), when he came to earth to cause all 
fruit-bearing trees to blossom, the people were forbidden to make 
any unnecessary noise : they might not blow the trumpet, nor 
beat drums, nor dance, nor sing (not even at sea) ; they might 
neither cultivate the soil nor make war, lest the god should be 
disturbed in his operations, and deliver over the land to famine. 
Here we mark the connection, common to all mythologies, between 
the old serpent and the fruits of the earth. This Ceres of Fiji had 
no serpent car to bring him to earth, but he himself took the form 
of a serpent, and dwelt in a small cave near Mbau, where the 
people nocked to do him homage. 

A legend attaches to this cave, which makes us wish that more 
attention could be given to the folk-lore of these isles ere it utterly 
fades away, like the grey mists of night before the beams of morn- 
ing. Perhaps it is already too late, for the lotu (Christianity) has 
brought in such a flood of newer stories, that doubtless the old 
fables have fallen into disrepute, and probably (just as in Scotland) 
the dread of a sneer or a rebuke from their teachers will cause those 
who know them best to shrink from uttering them. The legend I 
allude to was happily recorded by Mr Waterhouse, senior, one of 
the earliest and most able of the Wesleyan missionaries. Such 
men as these had little spare time, and probably less inclination,- to 
take much trouble in collecting foolish stories. However, enough 
have been recorded to make us wish for more ; and here is a sample 
of Fijian folk-lore. 

I have told you how the lord of the crops lay enshrined in the 
likeness of a great serpent. But there was a sceptical chief, named 
Keroika, who would not believe in this divinity, and rashly deter- 
mined to test the matter. So, taking with him a cargo of small 
fish, he proceeded in his canoe to the sacred cave. There he Mas 
greeted by a serpent of average size, who told him he was son of 
the god : Keroika made him an offering of fish, and prayed for an 
interview with his father. Another serpent came out to see what 
was going on. He proved to be a grandson, and he likewise re- 
ceived a gift of fish, and a request to induce his grandfather to 
appear. And after a while an immense serpent came forth, and 
Keroika knew that it was the Eaitumaibulu himself. So he made 



350 AT HOME tN FIJI. 

obeisance, and presented his offering of fish, which was graciously 
accepted by the serpent-god; but as he turned to retreat to his 
cave Keroika treacherously shot him with an arrow, and then, 
horror-stricken at what he had done, fled in terror from the spot, 
but he was pursued by a terrible voice, crying, " bought but ser- 
pents ! bought but serpents ! " These ominous words were still 
ringing in his ears when he reached his home, where, determined 
to conquer his foolish fear, he called for dinner. But when the 
servants uncovered the cooking-pot, and were about to lift out the 
food, they started back in horror — the pot was full of serpents. 
At least, thought the chief, I will drink ; but as he raised a jar to 
his lips he poured out serpents instead of water. Hungry and 
thirsty, he threw himself wearily on his mat, hoping to find solace 
in sleep, but from every corner hissing snakes glided round him, 
and the wretched man fled from his house in terror. As he passed 
the temple he saw a crowd collected to hear the priest make a 
revelation, which was that the god had been wounded by a citizen, 
and that in consequence evil would surely befall the city. So, 
finding there was no use in further concealment, he confessed his 
crime, made large offerings to propitiate the angry god, and received 
pardon. 

When the Eev. John Hunt visited the island of Yatulele, he 
was invited by one of the chiefs to visit a cave about seven miles 
distant, in which dwelt the gods of the island. He found a cave 
about twenty ,feet in height and sixty in length, communicating 
with an inner cave, in both of which the receding tide leaves a 
clear pool, inhabited by a variety of Crustacea somewhat larger than 
u shrimp : these are common enough at certain places, and are brown 
till cooked, when they become red. Those in this cave are all red, 
and probably are therefore deemed supernatural. Their mother is 
said to be of immense size, and dwells by herself in the inner cave ; 
but the children, who are called Ura, answer to their name, and 
appear at the call of their worshippers — or rather did so in heathen 
days. 

Although an idol visibly representing a deity was almost un- 
known, the personal appearance of the gods was minutely recorded. 
Thus Thangawalu was a giant sixty feet in height, with a forehead 
eight span high. Another had but one tooth, which was in the 
lower jaw, but rose above his head. He had wings instead of arms, 
and on these were claws wherewith to hook his victims. One had 
eight arms, and was a skilful mechanic. Another hai eight eyes, 
and was full of wisdom. One had eighty stomachs. Another had 



MYTHOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT. 351 

two bodies, male and female, united like the Siamese twins. There 
was a leper god, and a murderer; a god of war, and one whose sole 
delight was to steal women of high birth. 

The carpenters, the fishermen, and agriculturists, each worshipped 
special deities. 

In addition to the principal gods, there was a vast number of 
little gods, answering to our fairies, who were called " children of 
the waters." There were also numerous objects of veneration which 
recall our own Scotch relics. Such was icairua, which was an 
oval stone, the size of a swan's egg, which, with several smaller 
stones, children of the god, lay in the hollow of a small tree beside 
the stream at Namusi in Viti Levu. There was another stone at 
Mbau which gave birth to a little stone whenever a woman of rank 
was confined in the town. This sympathetic deity has been re- 
moved, but its children still mark the spot where it formerly lay. 
At Ovalau there was formerly a black stone, which was once a 
sacred pig killed and baked by sacrilegious hands, but which, on 
being taken out of the oven, was found to have assumed this form. 
There were also groves of sacred trees at Mbau, and in several other 
places — too many of which have been destroyed by iconoclastic 
zeal. 

Certain war-clubs were treated with reverence approaching to 
worship ; and the men who had wielded them with the mightiest 
arm, and had been specially distinguished in battle, ranked as 
heroes and demi-gods, henceforth to be honoured with libations at 
every ceremonial drinking of yangona. As the water was poured 
into the yangona-bowl, a herald cried aloud : " Prepare a libation 
to the Loa-loa — to the Veidoti," &c, &c, mentioning all the chief 
temples reverenced by the tribe. " Prepare a libation to the chief- 
tains who have died on the water, or died on the land ! Be gra- 
cious, ye lords, the gods, that the rain may cease " (or whatever 
prayer was to be offered). Then, as the cup was filled for the 
highest chief present, the herald once more cried : " Let the gods 
be gracious, and send us a wind from the west or from the east," 
according to the requirements of the day. Then as the king or 
high chief took the cup, he poured the libation on the ground ere 
he drank. Of course this ceremony has passed away with the old 
faith in the gods. 

As to notions concerning a future life, I fancy that the traditions 
concerning the way of approach to the spirit-world varied in different 
parts of the group. In Vanua Levu we were told that the beau- 
tiful headland of Nai Thombo Thombo, the northernmost point of 



352 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

the isle, was the spot where the gods were wont to assemble, and 
whence the spirits of the dead departed to seek the abode of 
Xdengei. It is a very eerie spot, with precipitous cliffs towering 
above dense masses of foliage, and casting a deep gloomy shade— 
the awful stillness of which is unbroken by the cry of any living 
thing. 

^ The way to Mbula, as the Fijian Paradise is called, was long and 
difficult, and many enemies sought to waylay the spirits and take 
them captive. One of these, called Sangga A T angga, was so bitter 
a foe to all who had eschewed wedded bliss, that it is said not one 
of these hapless ones has ever reached his bourne. Seized by the 
vengeful demon, he was dashed to pieces on a large black stone. 

At Nai Thonibo Thombo the fortunate man, whose wives had so 
loved him as to submit to be strangled on his death, was rejoined 
by their spirits, and together they embarked in the canoe which 
was appointed to carry them to the presence of the judge — notice 
of their approach being given by a parrot, which cried once for each 
spirit of the party, and so gave warning to a demon named Samu- 
yalo, " the killer of souls," who lay in wait and endeavoured to 
clubthem. If he succeeded in killing them, he feasted spiritually; 
but if he only wounded them, they were doomed to wander sadly 
among the mountains. 

Those who escaped the club of the soul destroyer passed on to 
one of the highest peaks of the Kauvandra mountains, where the 
path to Mbula ends abruptly at the brink of a precipice, the base 
of which is washed by a deep lake. Here an old man and his son 
induced the wayfarers to sit on an overhanging oar, whence they 
were thrown headlong into the deep waters below, through which 
they passed to Muri Muria, which was a minor paradise in Mbula. 

The true abode of bliss was Mburotu, a blessed region of scented 
groves and pleasant glades, where all things most highly prized by 
the Fijians were said to abound. Here they cultivated pleasant 
gardens, lived in families, ate and drank, and even fought. More- 
over, like Mohammedan saints, they were supposed to attain ex- 
ceeding great stature. But the primary idea connected with death 
seems to have been that of simple rest, as expressed in one of theii 
songs — 

u A mate na vawa rawa ; 
Me bula — na ka ni cava ? 
A mate na cegu." 

Death is easy ; 

Of what use is life ? 

To die is rest. 



MYTHOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT. 353 

Those spirits who had failed to please the gods were subjected 
to divers punishments. Some were laid in rows on their faces, and 
converted into taro beds. Men who had failed to slay a foe were 
sentenced for evermore to beat a heap of filth with a club, this 
being the most degrading punishment. Others were roasted and 
eaten by hungry gods. 

Opinions were divided as to the souls of inanimate objects. 
Some people professed to have seen the souls of canoes, houses, 
plants, pots, and other things swimming on the stream of the 
Kauvandra well, which bore them to the regions of immortality; 
and others averred that they had seen footmarks of the ghosts of 
pigs and dogs round the same well. 

Mburotu (which the Tongans called Bulotu and the Samoans 
Pulotu) was the abode of the gods, into which favoured mortals 
were admitted. The legends concerning it tell of a speaking tree 
which was there, and a fountain of life. The Tongan legend tells 
how Maui, the chief of the gods, fished up Tonga from the bottom 
of the sea, and how some of the minor gods fled from Bulotu and 
took up their abode on Tonga. To punish this rebellion they were 
made subject to death, and forbidden ever to re-enter Bulotu ; and 
great was their wonder and sorrow when they realised the change 
that had come over them. But they made the best of matters, and 
became the parents of the noble Tongan race. 

The Fijians believe that sometimes, as they sail from the Wind- 
ward Isles towards Khandavu, they see Burotu, with the sun shin- 
ing brightly on it. But when they steer towards it, it fades away, 
and grows fainter and fainter, till it vanishes utterly, and they sail 
in silent wonder over the spot where they distinctly saw it standing, 
green and beautiful, in the midst of the waters. 

In the course of our wanderings through the isles, we have heard 
some curious statistics concerning the practice of witchcraft, which 
in many details are almost identical with the superstitions "which, 
as you well know, were once so common in the British Isles, and 
still linger there in many a corner little suspected. 1 Thus a person 

1 Our police records have quite recently reported cases in which waxen images 
have been moulded to represent persons against whom some miscreant had a 
grudge. So late as 1870 a man at Beauly in Scotland was proved to have made 
an image of clay, which he buried near the house of a farmer to whom he owed a 
grudge, fully believing that, as the rain washed away the clay, so his enemy would 
pine and die. And in the same district a woman was found sticking lumps of mud 
on the trees with the same object. In 1872, two onions, stuck full of pins, and 
ticketed with the name of the intended victim, were found hidden in a chimney 
corner in Somerset And as regards other forms of witchcraft, I have just heard 
(Aug. 1880) from a large landowner in Skye, that he has had a letter from hia 

Z 



354 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

having a grudge against his neighbour will try to obtain something 
which he has touched — a bit of his dress, the refuse of his food, 
or, above all, a piece of his hair, — and having uttered certain 
charmed words, will conceal this about the house — generally in the 
thatch — with a conviction that, ere long, the victim will waste 
away. Should he bathe in running water before the fourth day, 
the charm is broken, as it also would be should the charm be dis- 
covered. Of course, persons professing Christianity are supposed 
to lose faith in such matters ; but in truth such superstitions are | 
slow to die out. There are also certain magical leaves which, being 
carefully rolled up in a bamboo and buried in a man's garden, in- 
sure his being bewitched. In heathen days, the help of the priest 
was sought in laying on the charm ; and a common method pur- 
sued was to bury a cocoa-nut beneath the temple hearth, where a 
fire was constantly burning : then, as the nut dried up and perished, 
so would the person represented sicken and die. Here, as in Scot- 
land, there were professional witches, whose power for evil was 
always to be purchased. Persons believing themselves to be in 
danger from any such, invariably applied to some dealer in witch- 
craft, who wrought counter spells. Should the wizard be detected 
in his evil deed — burying or hiding the charm — he was summarily 
clubbed, and his house burnt. 

Strange ordeals were also common, as proofs of guilt or inno- 
cence. So were divers methods of divination. 

Very curious, too, are the various forms of tarnbu or prohibition, 
made use of to protect the gardens from robbery — such as planting 
a cluster of reeds, the tops of which are all inserted in one cocoa- 
nut. The rash thief who defies this tambu is certain to be afflicted 
with boils. 

Seers used formerly to be in high repute, and the class of visions 
that we know as " second sight " were common. 

Among the graceful forms of superstition, is that of courteously 

tenants, signed by several influential members of the Free Church, complaining of 
a family — a mother and five daughters — who, by evil arts, take away the milk from 
their cows. Of this elaborate proofs are given. The case was mentioned to another 
man of the same district, who was asked what he thought of it. He answered — 
" He couldn't say. His own cow had recently been thus charmed ; but he knew 
another skeely woman, and sent for her. She came and made a turn round the 
cow and twined red worsted in its tail, and the milk came back. For this he 
paid her five shillings, but she told him that her charm would only work for three 
months, and if after that the cow ought still to be giving milk, she must be sent 
for again ! " 

For many curious statistics on these subjects, see ' From the Hebrides to the 
Himalayas,' by C. F. Gordon Cumming. 



. MYTHOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT. 355 

exclaiming mbula (" life to you ") to a person who sneezes, who 
invariably replies mole — " thanks." 

From these few meagre notes you may gather that there is 
abundant interesting material to be collected in these isles, should 
any one be found possessing unbounded leisure, perfect knowledge 
of the people and of their language, and a disposition to devote 
both to the search for these fast-fading traces of the past. 



356 



APPENDIX. 



GOVERNMENT AND THE FIJIANS. 

Among the many difficult problems which awaited solution when 
Sir Arthur Gordon assumed the task of government, none seemed 
more hopeless than that of devising a system of native taxation 
which should be at once just and remunerative. The atrocious 
wrongs connected with the poll-tax, devised by Thakombau's 
government, had led to its abolition in favour of a labour-tax, 
the working of which, however, was found to be impracticable. 
It was therefore necessary to devise some system which should 
be more acceptable to the people, and more satisfactory in its 
results. After mature consideration, Sir Arthur decided to adopt 
the course so strongly recommended by Mr Thurston — namely, 
to cause every district to make a garden or plantation, the produce 
of which should be sold to the highest bidder. From the money 
thus received the Government should claim the sum at which the 
district had been assessed, and the surplus should be restored to 
the cultivators. The promulgation of this scheme led to a storm 
of the most virulent abuse. It was said that Government was 
about to absorb the whole trade of the isles; that the measure 
was cruelly antagonistic to every interest of the white planters; 
that it was certain to prove a gigantic failure ; and, in short, it 
was about as unpopular a measure as was ever devised. 

Sir Arthur is, however, one who has been well described as 
"doing his own thinking for himself." Unheeding the storm of 
tongues, he caused the chiefs to establish gardens in every district, 
and though, at first, from many causes beyond control, they seemed 



APPENDIX. 357 

in danger of utter failure, which should fulfil the prophecies of the 
unfriendly, after a while they prospered to such a degree as to 
astonish even the keenest advocates of the scheme, and became 
not only a large source of revenue, but also produced a surplus 
which has greatly enriched the several districts. 

The matter is one of such importance to the colony that a few 
further particulars may prove interesting. 

The following extracts from the ' Fiji Times ' reveal something 
of the manner in which the poll-tax was collected, and the labour 
market supplied, immediately prior to annexation — i.e., in 1874. 

" The native poll-tax, and the manner of enforcing it, is creating 
considerable dissatisfaction on all sides. Only last week, it appears, 
a whole town was summoned for arrears of taxes. Nineteen men 
and twenty women were sentenced, in default of payment, to hard 
labour — the former for 35 weeks, and the latter to 19 weeks; 
subsequently they were hired to planters at Is. per week, until 
the amount of the tax, together with 5s. for summons, and 10s. 
for serving it in each case (although only one summons was issued), 
be fully paid. This is collecting taxes with a vengeance, and such 
proceedings are eminently calculated to engender ill-feeling on the 
side of the natives, and to create disturbances in retaliation for 
such extraordinary treatment. It is no wonder that Her Britannic 
Majesty's Consul and the Commodore were everywhere met by 
natives, imploring to be relieved from the severe rule of the de 
facto Government, and beseeching those high officers to annex the 
islands to Great Britain 

" We know that but a few weeks back one minor chief proposed, 
and was with difficulty prevented from, the commission of suicide, 
simply because he and his people were deprived of liberty under 
these most atrocious regulations." 

u To the Editor of the * Fiji Times.' 

" Levtjka, September 19, 1874 

u Sir, — At the risk of being troublesome, I have again to draw 
attention to the manner in which this Government are oppressing 
the unfortunate Ra Coast natives. From two labour boats which 
arrived here this morning from that district, I gather the following 
reliable information My informant states labourers are obtained 
as follows : — 

" ' Any men and women whose taxes are in arrear are summoned 
to appear before the warden, to answer to the same. The usual 



358 AT HOME Ds T FIJI. 

method pursued is to send a general summons, embracing perhaps 
all the adult population of a large town, and Is. mileage is charged 
individually for service of summons — a summons which in many 
cases has never been served. These unfortunate natives are com- 
pelled to attend the court, and, in the absence of any advocate, are 
mulct in the sum of-*5 or 1 doL, as the- case may be (male or 
female), together with the costs of court, including the mileage, 
which amounts to about 4 dollars per man : of course they cannot 
pay, and are then sentenced to work out the amount, at the rate of 
Is. per week, and are compelled to engage with planters for one 
year. Then what follows % Husbands and wives are dragged away 
from their homes, their little surroundings become lost and de- 
stroyed. They have to endure a bitter and compulsory bondage 
of twelve months, with the prospect of returning to their cold and 
desolate hearths — with fresh taxes in view, ad infinitum? " 

Another correspondent writes — 

" I am informed that the wretched natives who are unable to 
pay their taxes are made to work on plantations at the rate of 
forty days for 4s., sixty days for 6s. At this rate, the unfortunate 
wretches would have to work for 280 days in the year to pay the 
yearly tax imposed upon a man and his wife." 

And yet another — 

" The vile atrocious wrongs which have been perpetrated in con- 
nection with the labour traffic and the collection of taxes upon the 
helpless, frightened natives — of both sexes — by a cowardly set of 
officials, assisted by a brutal, licentious soldiery, and connived at 
by the executive, because the money — blood money, with God's 
curse surely stamped upon every coin — flows into the treasury, are 
a foul blot, even upon the worst Government with which this un- 
happy country has been afflicted ; and yet, sir, we are met on all 
sides with the canting cry, ' Oh ! what a good thing for these poor 
natives to be taken away to the cotton plantations. You must 
civilise them first, and then Christianise them.' " 

In Sir Arthur Gordon's report on this subject, he says : 

" The tax imposed on natives by Cakobau's government was a 
uniform poll tax of £1 per man and 4s. per woman throughout the 
group. I, however, find it difficult, and indeed impossible, to sup- 
pose that revenue was the object contemplated in the imposition of 



APPENDIX. 359 

this tax, or that its payment was ever seriously looked for. If any 
such expectations existed, they were doomed to disappointment. 
The largest sum ever obtained in any one year from a population 
of, at one time, certainly not less than 150,000, was £6000, and 
of this sum a large part, as I will presently explain, was not, in 
fact, received from natives as payment of their tax, or indeed from 
natives at all. 

" I believe that the main design of the native poll-tax, when 
first imposed, and as it existed on the arrival of the British Com- 
missioners in Fiji in 1874, was that of furnishing through its 
instrumentality a large supply of labour to the plantations of the 
white settlers. And in this respect it no doubt worked success- 
fully. The unknown consequences of disobedience to the ' Mata- 
nitu ' (the equivalent of the Indian ' Sircar ') exercised a mysterious 
terror over the minds of the natives, which induced them in many 
cases, in consideration of the advance of their taxes on the part of 
a planter, to contract with him for a year or more of gratuitous 
service. These, however, were of course the exceptions. In the 
majority of cases, the tax was simply not paid, and could not be 
paid. When this happened the legal penalty for default was six 
months' imprisonment, which was spent in labour on the plantation 
of any settler who would pay to the Government the amount of the 
defaulter's tax. But though six months was the limit allowed by 
law for such assignment, the magistrates of that day were not very 
scrupulous in their reading of the Act, and sentences of a year, and 
even eighteen months, seem to have been pronounced; while by 
the imposition of heavy costs, and the assumption that the default 
of their payment might be similarly punished by ' imprisonment 
on a plantation,' even these periods were almost indefinitely ex- 
tended. 

" Sir H. Robinson felt strongly the impossibility of maintaining 
such a system, which he rightly described as one by which the 
services of the entire male population of whole districts had been 
in effect sold to European planters in other and distant islands. 
He at once abolished it, and substituted an arrangement by which 
all but adult males were excused from taxation, and the tax of 
these men fixed at twenty days' labour in the year, redeemable by 
money payments of various amounts, according to the supposed 
wealth, or poverty, of the district in which they lived. 

" This, therefore, was the problem which I had presented to me : 
Should I continue the labour-tax of 1874; should I re-enact and 
attempt to enforce the direct tax in money of the old Fijian Gov- 



300 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

ernment ; or should I endeavour to provide some substitute for the 
existing system which should bring larger returns to the treasury, 
and yet be neither oppressive nor opposed to the traditionary 
habits and feelings of the people ? 

" The labour-tax in its existing form was clearly unsustainable, 
It is impossible to transport the whole population for twenty days 
to those places where public works are being carried on. " Such 
places are few, and in most districts of the colony there are really 
no public works on which the inhabitants can be employed. In 
such cases either works have to be invented which are not needed, 
and which lead to an employment — (or rather a waste) — of labour 
in no way beneficial to the colony, as well as an expense of super- 
vision wholly thrown away, or the tax must be quietly permitted 
to fall into disuse. 

" The practical alternative, therefore, was the renewal of the poll- 
tax of the old Fijian Government, or the substitution of some as 
yet untried system. 

_ " If the idea of re-enacting a poll-tax be abandoned, no other 
direct money-tax could be imposed. In fact, there is a species of 
absurdity in the imposition of pecuniary taxation on a population, 
nine-tenths of which possess no money. " I know it has been said 
that if they do not possess money, they, at least, might all become 
possessed of it by engaging to work for planters. I confess I am 
unable to see the force of this assumption. The ordinary wages 
given by a planter to an able-bodied man were, in 1875, Is. a 
week, or £2, 12s. per annum. This is a small sum from which to 
pay a tax ranging from £1 downwards, even if the wages be paid 
m money, and not, as was invariably the case, in 'trade,' of often 
questionable value. TVliether it is to the native's advantage to leave 
his taro patch and yam plantations, his own village, his generally 
comfortable home, and his family, to work on some distant estate 
for o2s. a-year, may be questioned; nor do I think he can reason- 
ably be expected to do so, except under strong compulsion." 

Sir Arthur proceeds to give some of the reasons which led to 
his deciding on the " district garden " scheme. vVith regard to its 
practical working, he adds — 

"The receipts from the native taxes, which in 1875, under the 
old system of collection, amounted to but £3499, 2s. 5d., reached 
in 1876 (during only a part of which year the new scheme was 
m operation) the sum of £9342, 16s. 3d., in 1877 that of 



APPENDIX. 361 

£15,149, 14s. 8d., and in 1878 amounted to nearly £19 ; 000. 
The exact figures for this last year have not yet reached me. 

"The expanses incurred in 1877 in collecting and shipping the 
produce to Levuka, and in payment of the eighteen persons en- 
gaged in these duties, amounted to £1341, lis. 9d. A further 
expenditure was also incurred for the purchase and gratuitous dis- 
tribution of seed, tools, bags, &c, amounting to £386, 5s. lOd. 
I have not yet received the accounts for 1878, but if the expenses 
be assumed as equal to those of 1877, there will be a clear profit to 
the Treasury on this tax of over .£17,000, while the expenses of 
collection will not have reached £2000. 

" Let us turn, however, to the more important question of the 
social influence of the new law. 

"To answer this question, the nature and working of its 
machinery must be first described. 

" The amount of the tax to be paid by each province, estimated 
in pounds sterling, is annually assessed by the Legislative Council, 
the assessment being based, as regards each province, on mixed con- 
siderations of the amount of the population, the nature and pro- 
ductiveness of the soil, and the degree of civilisation which the 
province has attained. 

"There are twelve such provinces, not including the two high- 
land districts of Yiti Levu. 

" Tenders are called for, for the purchase of the articles of pro- 
duce in which the tax may be paid. 

" These articles have hitherto been : coppra, cotton, candle-nuts, 
tobacco, and maize ; to these, coffee, which the natives have now 
begun to grow largely, will soon be added. Beche de mer has also 
been accepted from some places. 

" The highest tender is accepted in the case of each article, and 
to the successful tenderer all the produce delivered or collected in 
discharge of the tax is transferred on its receipt by Government. 

" The amount of the assessment fixed, and the prices offered for 
various articles of produce by the successful tenderer or tenderers, 
are intimated to the Eoko Tui or native governor of each pro- 
vince. 

" The apportionment of the shares to be borne by each district in 
the province, and the selection of the article or articles of produce 
to be contributed, are then made, nominally and according to law, 
by a Board appointed under the Ordinance, but practically by 
the Bose vaJca Yasana, or Provincial Council, which, as I have 
previously explained, consists of chiefs of districts, styled ' Bali*,' 



362 AT HOME IN FIJI. 

under the presidency of the Boko Tui. frequently, though not 
always, aided by the presence of the Governor's Commissioner. 

u The next stage is the apportionment of the tax of each dis- 
trict by the Bose ni Tikina, or District Council, consisting of the 
town chief of the district, under the presidency of the Bull. By 
this body the share of each several township in the district is 
determined. 

" Lastly, the individual share of produce to be contributed or 
work done by each family in each village is settled by the town 
chief, aided by the elders of the township. 

" The mode in which the articles are raised is left to the people 
themselves to determine, and the methods adopted have been very 
various. In some places each village has grown its own tax pro- 
duce along with what it grew for sale or domestic use ; in others, 
several villages have combined to grow their- produce in one large 
plantation. These latter are what, by those who wish to discredit 
the scheme, are called ' Government gardens,' but, in fact, no such 
gardens exist. The soil and the produce both belong to tha people 
themselves. 

u This machinery recognises the primitive community system, on 
which all political and social institutions in Fiji are based, and 
which, even in the matter of taxation, I found to be still in use as 
regarded the rates for local purposes, such as payment of school- 
masters and village police, which, quite irrespectively of the Gov- 
ernment (and, as some would say, illegally), were imposed by the 
Provincial Councils in a species of voluntary assessment. 

" This species of taxation is, consequently, familiar to the natives, 
and thoroughly understood by them, — a fact which causes the 
pressure of the impost to be more lightly felt than it would be if 
demanded directly from the individual by the Government. It, 
moreover, renders the natives themselves, to a very large extent, 
active and responsible agents in the collection of revenue. 

" Both of these are, I need hardly say, points of very consider- 
able importance. 

" But these were not the only results which the system was aimed 
to effect, nor are they the only objects which have been attained by 
its adoption. 

"As was anticipated by the framers of the Ordinance, the 
cultivation of articles of export by the natives has been largely 
promoted. 

" Fijians are by no means habitually indolent, as by many care- 
-bservers they are supposed to be ; and they are passionately 



APPENDIX. 363 

fond of agriculture : but their cultivation, though very neat and care- 
ful, is chiefly that of food plantations an 1 articles for domestic use. 

" Sugar, tobacco, and the paper mulberry are, and have long been, 
almost universally grown in addition to root crops and plantains ; 
but they are not, as a rule, grown with a view to exportation; 
although cocoa-nuts have been manufactured into coppra, and yams 
in large quantities have long been sold, or rather bartered, by the 
natives, to the white traders. 

" Under the new system, the area of native cultivation is rapidly 
increasing, and the lesson which it was desired to inculcate has been 
already more than partially learnt. 

" Another consequence of the adoption of this law has been that 
of giving to the people a juster idea of the value of the produce 
which they raise 

" When a money-tax was insisted on, it was necessary that at 
certain fixed periods every man should make a payment in cash to 
the tax collector. 

" Yery few natives (except perhaps in the province of Lau) hoard 
or possess coin. Their wealth consists in the accumulation of 
masses of property, not in money; and as the day on which the 
coin had to be produced came round, an unscrupulous itinerant 
trader (and such traders are not always remarkable for a high tone 
of commercial morality) could obtain almost anything, and almost 
any amount of anything in the possession or under the control of 
natives, in exchange for the coveted and indispensable piece of coin 
necessary to pay the tax. That coin the trader sold as an article of 
barter on his own terms, and those terms were usually hard ones. 

" Even at the best of times, when this pressure did not exist, the 
native only received about half the price which the very same 
traders, with the knowledge they still will obtain a handsome profit 
by their purchase, are now ready to give to the Government for a 
similar amount of produce. 

" This has opened the eyes of the natives, and in their private 
trading transactions they now in many cases ask and obtain prices 
more nearly resembling the true market value of the article ; while 
for the surplus produce raised by them of those articles in which 
the tax is paid, beyond what is required to meet it, the Govern- 
ment practically obtains for them a price equal to that which it 
receives itself from the contractor for the tax produce ; and that 
too paid in cash, and not (as had previously been the case) in goods 
which the trader valued at his own discretion. As I have before 
observed, the details of last year's operations have not yet reached 



364 AT HOME IN FIJI". 

me, but I know that several hundred pounds were in this manner 
gained by one locality alone in 1877. 

" Since this paragraph was written — indeed this very morning — 
I have received letters from Fiji which inform me that the amount 
of tax produce sent in during 1878 in payment of taxes, in excess 
of the amount required to meet the demands of the assessment, 
and which has been sold for the benefit of those contributing to it, 
has realised between £1500 and £2000. 

" It may seem strange when thus speaking of apparently large 
transactions between the natives and white traders, that there 
should have been any difficulty on the part of the former in finding 
money to pay a money-tax ; but in point of fact hardly any money 
was received by them. Objectionable as it seems to be thought by 
some to receive produce instead of money from the natives, these 
same parties see no objection to forcing on the natives as payment 
for their produce imported goods estimated at a wholly fictitious 
value. 

"A native, we will suppose, makes and wishes to dispose of 
coppra, which he offers to the white trader who ' works ' that dis- 
trict. Say he has got half a ton. This, according to present prices 
paid to the Government, would be worth £6, 10s. 

" The trader probably offers about £3 (until, perhaps, very lately, 
it certainly would not have been more, and probably less), and this 
he pays in cloth, knives, &c, of which he estimates the value at 
perhaps double the proper amount; so that he obtains £6, 10s. 
worth of produce from the native for goods worth £1, 10s. 

" The native was often aware he was imposed on ; but until the 
new system of taxation was introduced he had no alternative but 
to take what was offered, or leave his produce unsold. 

" He can now sell at the prices which have been publicly tendered. 

" The system of making an unduly large profit is so regularly 
recognised, that, in most of the shops in Levuka itself, there was 
in 1875 a 'native price' on articles, which was usually double the 
amount which would be asked of a European. There is still, I am 
informed, a ' native price ; ' but whether the disproportion between 
it and that asked of white customers is as great as formerly, I am 
not aware. 

" The action of the Government affords a most valuable protec- 
tion to the native producer, by insuring him a market where he 
will receive cash for his produce at a fair rate ; and, paradoxical as 
it may seem, it is, nevertheless, strictly true that the reception by 
the Government of produce in payment of taxes has been an im- 






APPENDIX. 365 

portant step towards the introduction of cash transactions in the 
dealings between the traders and the natives. . . . 

" It does not require half an eye to perceive that the people 
have thriven under the new system. Everywhere the increased 
areas of cultivation, the enlarged towns, the good new houses, the 
well-kept roads, the cheerful and healthy -looking population, pre- 
sent the strongest possible contrast to the aspect of the country in 
1875. This was fully admitted to me, not long before I left Fiji, 
by a leading planter, who said that nobody who had eyes in his 
head could deny that the natives were very much better off than 
they were three years ago ; but he added (and there was much 
significance in the admission), that this was by no means an advan- 
tage to the planter, whose difficulties in obtaining labour were 
thereby materially increased. 

" Not three years have since passed by, and already we see that 
it has secured an ample revenue, that it has stimulated the industry, 
and has doubled the produce, of the colony; that under it the 
population are more prosperous than they have been for a long 
time, and are, notwithstanding the incessant efforts of mischief- 
makers, content and trustful, as they will, I firmly believe, continue 
to be. 

" I am especially desirous that it should not be forgotten that 
this is but one in a series of measures which should be regarded 
together as a whole, and which have for their objects the preserva- 
tion and social development of the native race. 

"JL H. G." 



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